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Elizabeth’s Charm-String 


V 

Cora Forbes 


Illustrated from Photographs 


Boston 

Little, Brown, and Company 
1903 


N\ 


THE LiBRA'RY OF 
CONGRESS, 

1 wo Copies Received 

OCT 8 1903 

Copyright Entry 

. <T~ tq aZ 
CLASS ^ XXc. No 

b C\ °f V 0 

COPY 13. 


YZ-* 


£ 


Copyright , 7poj, 

By Little, Brown, and Company. 


All rights reserved 


Published October, 1903 


• « • 1 

* • * 4 

• • • • « 

• • 4 

• • • • 1 


UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON 
AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A 



v 

o 

*/ & 


TO 


MY SISTER 

IN LOVING AND GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF 
MANY DELIGHTFUL DAYS SPENT IN 
VISITING THE BIRTH-PLACES 
OF THESE LEGENDS 





P REFAG E 


F AR cleverer pens than mine 
have written and rewritten these 
charming old legends, so that the 
only claim to originality this volume pos- 
sesses lies possibly in my arrangement of 
the stories for juvenile readers ; and the 
pleasure I have given by relating them 
to my personal circle of young friends is 
my excuse for offering them to a larger 
audience. 

I have made no attempt whatever to 
teach History, or rather, — as Mrs. Jame- 
son expresses it, — “ to separate Historic 
Truth and Poetic Fiction.” At the same 
time, I hope that familiarity with these 
legends will afford both pleasure and 
profit, since at least a “ bowing acquaint- 
ance ” with legendary lore is necessary 
before a person can really enjoy the Art 
Galleries of Europe. 

vii 


Preface 


In preparing the legends, many author- 
ities were consulted and compared. The 
English translation of Voragine’s “ Le- 
genda Aurea,” Butler’s “ Lives of the 
Saints,” the publications of the Folk Lore 
Society, compilations of legends for the 
use of students or of tourists,Mrs. Jameson’s 
“ Sacred and Legendary Art,” and, I may 
add, stories told to me by local guides in 
various cities of the Old World, were all 
sources of help. 

Occasionally I found several versions — 
sometimes contradictory — of the same 
incident : in such cases I usually followed 
the accounts given by Mrs. Jameson, or 
by Miss H. A. Giierber, because the ver- 
sions chosen by these authors “ are the 
ones upon which the Artists of the Middle 
Ages based their representations of the 
subjects.” 


viii 


C. B. F. 


■s 


CONTENTS 

Chapter Pack 

I. A Disappointing Letter i 

H. An Invitation to a Game of “Button, 

Button, Who’s got the Button?” . 6 

III. A Medici Button-box and its Legends ii 

IV. The Winged Lion of Saint Mark . . 22 

V. The Lady’s Sand 34 

VI. The Doge and the Fisherman ... 44 

VII. Saint George and the Dragon — The 
Doge’s Bonnet — Saint Nicholas of 

Bari 53 

VIII. The Imp of Lincoln 65 

IX. The Santissimo Bambino — The Ma- 
donna of San Agostino 71 

X. The Legend of Saint Ursula ... 86 

XI. The Evil Eye and the Luck Charms . 103 

XII. The Legend of Cologne Cathedral . no 

XIII. The Legend of the True Cross ... 124 

XIV. The Legend of the Woodpecker — The 

Obelisk of the Vatican 148 

XV. The Legend of Saint Genevieve . . 158 


IX 


Contents 


Chapter Page 

XVI. The Tun of Heidelberg — Perkeo the 

Dwarf — The Mouse-Tower . . . 172 

XVII. The Legend of Saint Christopher . . 187 

XVIII. The Lorelei Legend 200 

XIX. The Doves of Venice — The Lion of 
Lucerne — The Monkey’s Tower — 
Hilda’s Tower — The Durham Knock- 
er — The Iron Virgin — The Cross 
of Saint Bernard — Monte-di-Pieta 

— The Little Corporal 212 

XX. The Birthday Party 235 


x 


I L LUSTRA TIO NS 

FULL-PAGE 

Figure of St. George, by Donatello Frontispiece^ 

Church and Campanile of St. Mark’s, Venice Facing page 30 < 

Doge and Fisherman, from the painting by 

Paris Bordone cn J 

„ „ 50 < 

The Madonna of Saint Agostino „ g^ / 

The Funeral of Saint Ursula, from the paint- 
ing by V. Carpaccio . . . • • • • » „ 102 ^ 

Cologne Cathedral 122 V* 

The Cross appearing in the Sky to Constantine 

and his Army, from the painting by Raphael „ „ 134 V 

View of St. Peter’s, Rome 1/ 

The Mouse Tower on the Rhine . . . . „ „ 180^ 

St. Christopher, from the painting by Titian . „ „ 196 ■/ 

PICTURES IN THE TEXT 

A View in Florence p age r l 

Romulus and Remus .... T 1 

The Papal Coat of Arms , 5 14 

The Arms of the City of Florence „ 13 

The Emblem of the Medici Family .... „ 18 


xi 


Illustrations 


Elizabeth’s Charm-String 

The Lion of St. Mark’s 

One of the Doors to St. Mark’s . . . . 

Off the Coast of Holland 

A Glimpse of Holland . 

Dutch Types 

A View of Venice 

A Fisherman of Venice . 

St. George, from the painting by Mantegna . 

A Doge of Venice 

A View of Venice 

A Street Scene in Lincoln 

The Imp of Lincoln 

The Santissimo Bambino ....... 

The Church of Ara Coeli 

A Glimpse of Bruges 

A Street in Basel 

The Blessing of Ste. Ursula 

Pope Pius IX 

A Corner of the Vatican 

A View of Cologne 

Crucifix 

The Main Entrance to Cologne Cathedral . 

The Emperor Constantine 

Saint Chapelle, Paris 

Woodpecker 

The Obelisk of the Vatican 

xii 


Page 19 
»» 23 

>» 29 

„ 34 

»> 37 

„ 42 

„ 44 

„ 48 

„ 54 

„ 61 

„ 63 

„ 66 
„ 67 

„ 72 
„ 76 

„ 89 

»» 95 

» 98 
„ 105 

„ 108 
„ no 
a n6 
„ 121 

» 136 
» 146 
» I5 1 
» 155 


Illustrations 


A Corner of Saint Etienne du Mont 
Saint Genevieve and Saint Germaine 
The Tomb of Saint Genevieve . 
Heidelberg and the Great Tun . . 

Perkeo the Dwarf 

The Mouse Tower 

Saint Christopher 

The Lorelei 

Feeding the Doves, Venice . . . 

The Lion of Lucerne 

Hilda’s Tower, Florence .... 

Durham Cathedral 

The Durham Knocker 

The Iron Virgin of Nuremberg . . 

The “Little Corporal” 


Page 160 
„ 164 
„ 168 
>, 173 
„ 177 
» 184 


11 

11 

ii 

ii 

ii 

11 

11 

11 

11 


197 

206 

213 

218 

222 

224 

225 
227 
232 


E L I Z A B E T H’S 
CHARM- STRING 


CHAPTER 1 

A DISAPPOINTING LETTER 

NE lovely afternoon in 
June, Elizabeth Staats and 
her particular chum, Alma 
Curtis, were sitting on the 
honeysuckle-covered porch 
of Mr. Isaac Staats’ pretty 
summer home. Their heads were bent over 
a letter bearing a foreign postmark, and its 
contents did not seem to afford them much 
pleasure. 

“ Oh, dear ! ” exclaimed Elizabeth, “ I never 
was so disappointed in all my life.” 

“ I do not blame you for feeling so,” said 
Alma, soothingly ; “ we have all got more but- 
tons now than we know what to do with ” 

“And charm-strings are all out of style 
anyhow,” continued Elizabeth. “ Every girl 
i i 




Elizabeth s Charm-String 


in school had one before Aunt Belle went to 
Europe. Really, Alma, I do not understand 
how Aunty can be so horridly stupid.” 

Mrs. Staats, coming out on the porch just 
then, heard this last remark with much sur- 
prise, for she knew that “ Aunt Belle ” was 
usually an object of adoration to these twelve- 
year-old girls. 

“ What is the matter, daughter ? What has 
caused your pet Aunty to moult her angelic 
wing feathers and develop a cloven foot so 
suddenly? ” 

“ Mamma, Aunt Belle writes that she will 
reach America almost as soon as her letter, 
and — ” 

“ That is a queer reason for such a woful 
countenance.” 

“ But, mamma, you know Aunty promised 
to bring me something very nice from Europe. 
I was hoping for a little watch, and instead 
of that she is bringing me a whole lot of 
BUTTONS!” 

(Nothing short of capital letters could do 
2 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

justice to the emphatic utterance of the dis- 
appointed little girl.) 

“ Buttons ! Why, my dear child, surely 
you must be mistaken. Let me see the 
letter.” 

“I wish I was mistaken; but just listen 
mamma,” and finding the proper place, Eliz- 
abeth read aloud : 

“ ‘ I did not forget my promise to bring you 
“ something nice.” I wanted the gift to be 
very unique and foreign-looking, and I was 
almost at my wit’s end trying to make a 
choice. 

“ ‘ One day while I was in Rome I saw a 
little American girl with the most fascinat- 
ing charm-string you ever dreamed of. I 
remembered, too, that when I left home you 
and most of your friends were busily collect- 
ing all sorts of buttons for charm-strings. 
I then and there decided to bring you, if 
possible, just as pretty a collection as this 
small girl carried. 

“‘I am quite sure that your new charm- 
3 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

string will not duplicate any of the buttons 
on your old one.’ ” 

“ There, mamma, Aunt Belle says ‘ but- 
tons ’ as plainly as possible ; ” and two big 
tears rolled slowly down the little maid’s 
cheeks. 

There was a twinkle in Mrs. Staats’ eyes 
not altogether in harmony with this tragic 
situation, but she comforted her daughter as 
well as she could, and offered a ray of hope 
by saying, “ Perhaps, dear, they are mili- 
tary buttons. Do you not remember how 
Aunty used to rave about the grand uniforms 
of the Italian officers ? And I know every one 
of you girls coveted the United States Army 
and Navy buttons that Elsie Stone had on 
her charm-string.” 

All in vain ; Elizabeth had so often boasted 
in school-girl fashion of the fine present she 
expected to receive from Europe, that the 
thought of answering “ Buttons ” when ques- 
tioned about it was too humiliating. 

But partial consolation did come in the 
4 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


shape of old Caroline, the cook who presided 
over Mrs. Staats’ kitchen. 

“ Miss Elizabeth ! Miss Alma ! ” she called, 
“ if you don’t hurry up and make your cookies 
and the chocolate fudge, it will be time for 
Miss Alma to go home before you get 
through.” 

Off scampered the children, for “ messing ” 
in the kitchen with good-natured Caroline 
was their greatest delight, and they were 
soon too absorbed in the mysteries of mixing 
and baking to think any more that afternoon 
about Aunt Belle’s disappointing letter. 

But that same night, before they dropped 
off to sleep, Alma in her city home, Elizabeth 
in the country, had anyone asked what it was 
that weighed so heavily on their minds, both 
little girls would have answered, “ Buttons.” 


5 


CHAPTER II 


AN INVITATION TO A GAME OF “ BUTTON, 
BUTTON, WHO’S GOT THE BUTTON?” 

M RS. STAATS and Mrs. Curtis 
had been friends since early 
childhood, and the warm affec- 
tion between their little daughters drew them 
into still closer intimacy. 

During the winter months the two fami- 
lies occupied adjoining houses in a bustling 
Western city. 

Early every spring Mr. Staats moved his 
family to their charming country home, 
“ Shadyside,” about ten miles from town ; but 
the Curtis family usually flitted to the sea- 
shore. 

Every summer the little girls were allowed 
to exchange visits, and many were the jolly 
times they had together. 

6 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


They had discussed the “ Button ” subject 
over and over again, but never ceased to 
wonder “ what Aunt Belle could have been 
thinking about” when she decided to bring 
such a commonplace, prosaic present all the 
way from Europe. 

They had agreed to say nothing more to 
the other girls in regard to the expected gift, 
until they had themselves seen the objection- 
able charm-string. 

A few days before the summer holidays 
began, Mrs. Curtis received a letter from 
Shadyside over which she laughed very heart- 
ily. When questioned by Alma as to the 
cause of her merriment, the only reply she 
vouchsafed was : 

“ You will find out next week. We are in- 
vited to Shadyside for a little visit, to meet 
Miss Belle Staats and see Elizabeth’s present” 

A little note from Elizabeth to Alma 
was enclosed in the letter, but even this did 
not give any clue to Mrs. Curtis’ cause for 
laughter. It said : 


7 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


“ Dear Alma, — Mamma had a letter from 
Aunt Belle which seemed to be very funny, but 
she would not let me read it. Aunty wrote to me 
saying that some of the buttons have lovely legends 
or funny stories connected with them. 

“Mamma said I could invite several girls to 
spend a few days here, and Aunty is to tell us the 
stories. You will come, of course, and I have asked 
Genevieve Lebeau, Marie Gardiner, and Margaret 
Nelson. 

“ I told the girls my present was to be some 
queer buttons for my charm-string. I thought it 
would be easier to write than to tell it.” 


A few evenings later a very jolly party 
was making merry on the lawn at Shadyside. 
The centre of attraction was of course Miss 
Belle Staats. 

She was a delightfully pretty young lady, 
about twenty-five years old, and had been 
spending the past two years travelling lei- 
surely through Europe. 

She had a large fortune of her own, artistic 
and literary tastes, and had devoted much 
time to the study of history and art; she 
8 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


possessed a keen sense of humor, told a 
story admirably, and talked most charmingly 
about the places and things she had found 
most interesting, or the adventures she had 
met with, in her pursuit of pleasure and 
improvement. 

She was particularly fond of her small 
niece Elizabeth, who in turn adored her 
pretty Aunt, and indeed Miss Belle was 
very popular with all Elizabeth’s best 
friends. 

During the afternoon she had been 
showing to the children some of the treas- 
ures she had brought home with her, 
and had let each one choose a little sou- 
venir from among these pretty things ; but 
not a word had been said about the charm- 
string. 

The evening flew along on swift wings 
until ten o’clock, and then the children were 
sent to bed. As the little girls gathered 
about Miss Belle, wishing her “ Good-night,” 
she put her arm around Elizabeth and said 
9 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


laughingly : “ Little niece, to-morrow morning 
at nine o’clock you are all to meet me in the 
hall, and we will have a game of ‘ Button, 
button, who ’s got the button ? ’ ” 


io 


CHAPTER III 


A MEDICI BUTTON-BOX AND ITS LEGENDS 

T HE next morning the wind was 
blowing a gale and the rain fall- 
ing in torrents ; every one was de- 
lighted to find a bright fire burning in the 
big open fireplace. 


Ip SiL jm iff r* 

: - ^ 



t '*** 



« ' j „ • 

•" •; j* — 


The five little girls were burning also with 
curiosity as to the possible contents of a 
queer-shaped parcel Miss Belle had placed 
on the hall table soon after breakfast. 


ii 


ElizabetUs Charm-String 


“ If that parcel contains your buttons, 
Elizabeth,” said Genevieve Lebeau, “you 
will not have much of a string.” 

“ Maybe it is the kind of a button the 
Mikado wears,” chimed in Margaret. 

“ Or one of Queen Victoria’s collar 
buttons ! ” 

“ Or the Pope’s cuff button ! ” 

And so they all jested and laughed 
together. 

As the old grandfather’s clock struck nine 
Miss Belle came slowly down the stairs, 
smiling at the expectant faces watching 
her. 

She walked to the table, and as she began 
to untie the mysterious packet, poor Eliza- 
beth clutched Alma’s hand and received a 
reassuring pressure in return. 

There were two boxes in the bundle. One 
was round and quite small, covered with a 
peculiar-looking white leather, and its top 
was decorated with what appeared to be a 
monogram, colored red and green. 

12 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 

This, after a moment’s hesitation, was 
handed to Mrs. Staats, who made no attempt 
to open it. 

The second box Miss Belle gave to Eliza- 
beth, saying, with a happy laugh : “ There, 
little one, is your charm-string at last.” 

The box was trunk-shaped, with a curving 
lid, and was covered with copper beaten into 



elaborate and intricate designs. Across the 
front and back ran a complicated pattern of 
fleurs-de-lis ; one end showed a wolf nursing 
two little children; the other displayed a tiara, 
or Bishop’s mitre, of peculiar shape, and be- 
neath this two keys were crossed; in the 
centre of the lid was a shield bearing six 
balls and surmounted by a coronet ; the in- 

13 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 

tervening spaces were beaten into dainty 
scrolls or flowers, and the keyhole was in 
the mouth of a grinning mask. 

“ Oh, oh ! ” exclaimed Marie, “ what an odd- 
looking box ! ” 

“ It looks as if it needed a dose of sapolio, 
* though,” said Alma, who was nothing if not 
critical. 

“Yes, it does,” said Aunt Belle, “but 
what looks like dirt is really the discolora- 


tion of ‘ Old Father Time.’ It 
is claimed that this box was once 
the property of Pope Leo X, 
who belonged to the renowned 
Medici family of Florence. 



% “ He was made Pope in the 


y year 1512 a.d., so if the story 
is true, the box will be four hun- 


dred years old by the time Elizabeth has 
jewels enough to fill it. 

“ The fleurs-de-lis on the box typify the 
city of Florence, whose nickname is ‘ Lily of 
the Arno.’ 


14 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ The wolf nursing the two boys is part of 
the coat of arms of Rome. Surely, you all 
remember the story of Romulus and Remus, 
the twin brothers who founded Rome ? If 
you have forgotten it I must tell you about 
it another time. 

“ The triple tiara with the crossed keys 
is the Papal coat of arms ; no one but the 
Pope ever wears that tiara, 
which represents the Trin- 
ity. It is said to be of pure 
gold and to weigh fifteen 
pounds. 

“ There is a very old 
legend which tells us that 
Christ made Saint Peter 
the keeper of the gates of Paradise, and gave 
him two keys, one of gold for Heaven, and 
one of silver for Hell ; so in the mediaeval 
pictures of Saint Peter he is always shown 
as carrying these keys, and frequently wear- 
ing a tiara, because he was the first ‘ Uni- 
versal Bishop ’ or Pope. 

i5 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ The shield and coronet on the lid be- 
long to the Medici family. There is a funny 
little story which tells why they chose the 
six little balls as the family emblem.” 

The Medici Emblem 

Long, long ago there lived in Florence a 
man who was of good family, but very poor, 
and although quite a clever fellow, he was 
too lazy to work, preferring to use his wits in 
finding easy methods of earning his living. 

One day, while amusing himself in an 
old curiosity shop, he came across a queer- 
looking manuscript and took it home to 
read. 

It turned out to have originally belonged 
to a physician, and, among other things, 
contained a prescription for compounding 
a certain kind of medicine, guaranteed to 
“ cure every ill that flesh is heir to.” 

So this man decided that he too would 
be a doctor. 

Accordingly, he made up a quantity of 
16 


Elizabeth' s Charm-String 

these infallible pills, and travelled about the 
country in a leisurely way, selling the medi- 
cine to every one who could be persuaded to 
buy any of it. 

He managed to gain quite a reputation 
because of the alleged cures made by his pills, 
and soon people were only too eager to pur- 
chase them. 

One day there came along a stupid 
peasant who had lost his donkey. 

He asked our doctor if his medicine 
could find lost animals. 

The doctor assured him that these pills 
could almost perform miracles, and sold six 
of them to the poor man. 

The peasant was directed to swallow the 
pills, and then wander in and out of the 
Florentine streets and all around the neigh- 
boring country for six days. 

He was to think about his donkey all the 
time, and as he walked he was to cry aloud : 

“ My donkey ! My donkey ! Good people, 

Has any one seen my lost donkey ? ” 

2 *7 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

Hunted for in this persistent fashion one 
could discover almost anything ; so you will 
not be surprised to learn that the ass was 
finally recovered. 

The pills, however, received all the credit 
for this astounding performance and became 
more popular than ever. 

At length the “ Doctor ” grew so wealthy 
that he concluded to retire from business; 


he assumed the name of 
“ Medici,” founded a new 
family, and for his coat of 
arms adopted a shield bear- 
sur- 
mounted by a coronet. 




By Florentines these balls 


are commonly known as the Medici “ pills.” 

In the midst of the laughter that followed 
this story, Mrs. Curtis called out : 

“ My dear Elizabeth, any time you want to 
exchange that box for the prettiest watch 
in town, I stand ready to close the bargain.” 


ElizabetJis Charm-String 

“ Open it, dearie,” said Aunt Belle. 

Elizabeth turned the key and lifted the 
lid. Alma was sitting so close to her that 
she also could see the contents of the box. 

Both little girls gave one long glance at 
the shining object lying on its bed of pink 
cotton; then 
looked at each 
other, and the 
growing be- 
wilderment in 
their faces 
brought a 
burst of laugh- 
ter from the 
older ladies, 
and a chorus 
of “ What is 
it ? ” “ Let me 
see ! ” from the 
other girls. 

Elizabeth lifted up her new treasure, 
and no wonder she looked amazed, for the 
19 



Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


thought of such a charm-string as this had 
never crossed her mind. 

To begin with, it was not a string at all, 
but a pin ; a slender bar of silver about three 
inches long, with a very strong clasp. Sus- 
pended from this bar were several fine silver 
chains, each terminating in a ring, and each 
ring holding a number of marvellously pretty 
gold and silver charms. 

There seemed to be a whole menagerie of 
animals, and all sorts of quaintly shaped arti- 
cles, of which the children were ignorant. 

Elizabeth threw her arms around her 
Aunt’s neck, almost beside herself between 
remorse and delight. 

“Oh!” she cried, “Alma and I thought 
you meant you were bringing me a lot of 
buttons for my old charm-string, and we 
called you silly and stupid, and were just 
horrid ; now the buttons have turned into 
all these pretty things, and how can you 
ever forgive us ! ” 

“Your mother told me of the funny mis- 
20 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


take you were making, and we thought it 
would be a good joke to surprise you with 
the real thing. We have had our laugh at 
you and Alma for your stupidity.” 

The little girls examined the pretty charms 
closely, and poured forth so many questions 
that Miss Belle finally clapped her hands 
over her ears and cried out: 

“ Dear me, what a racket ! One at a time, 
please. Suppose we all sit down, and then 
you girls can take turns choosing charms, 
and I will tell you the stories about them. 

“You see I collected charms instead of 
souvenir spoons, and I tried always to find 
something that was directly connected with 
the place where I bought it. 

“Elizabeth, suppose you begin. I ’m sure 
you must be disappointed at the loss of your 
expected buttons, so we will soothe your hurt 
feelings by giving you first choice.” 


21 


CHAPTER IV 


THE WINGED LION OF SAINT MARK 

E LIZABETH turned over the little 
things almost caressingly, and after 
a minute’s hesitation her choice 
fell on a tiny gold winged lion, standing on a 
slab of silver. The left fore-paw was raised, 
and rested on an open book which had some 
letters cut irregularly on the surface. 

“ Ah ! ” said her Aunt, “ that has so many 
stories connected with it I hardly know 
which one to choose. It came from Venice, 
and every time you turn around in that 
fairy tale of a city, you will see ‘ The Lion 
of Saint Mark.’ 

“ Saint Mark is the patron saint and pro- 
tector of Venice, and the winged lion is his 
symbol. The sentence on that open book is 
the motto of Venice ; it is in Latin, and reads, 


22 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

‘ Pax tibi Marce Evangelista Meus,’ mean- 
ing ‘ Peace to thee, Mark my Evangelist.’ ” 

“ But how very odd it seems for people to 
choose a lion as a symbol for a saint,” said 
Marie. 

“ Symbols of 
some descrip- 
tion have been 
used since the 
earliest days of 
Christian art to 
represent differ- 
ent saints and 
martyrs. It 
would take too long to make you understand 
this fully now, but the symbol used always 
indicated something connected with the life 
of that particular individual.” 

“ Did Saint Mark kill a lion, as Hercules 
did ? ” asked Alma. 

“ No; there are several reasons for choos- 
ing the lion as the emblem of Saint Mark, 
but I will tell only the one I like best myself. 

23 



Eliz abet. Jis Charm-String 


“ Perhaps you know that each one of the 
Evangelists emphasizes in his Gospel some 
particular phase of Christ’s life or character, 
and Saint Mark has often been called ‘ The 
Historian of the Resurrection.’ 

“ During the Middle Ages it was quite a 
general belief that the cub of a lioness was 
always born dead ; after three days the breath 
of the lion infused life into the cub, and this 
awakening of the young lion typified the 
resurrection of Christ. 

“ So the lion was given to Saint Mark as 
his symbol, and because the angels, who are 
the messengers of heaven, are always repre- 
sented as having wings, this lion is also 
winged, since he too represents one who 
brings us good tidings.” 

“Saint Mark was not an Italian. Why 
was he chosen as the protector of Venice ? ” 
asked Margaret. 

“ Thereby hangs a pretty tale, but, like so 
many Italian legends, truth and poetry are 
so closely interwoven that it is hard to 
24 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


separate them. I am not telling you the 
history of Saint Mark, however, simply the cir- 
cumstances that connect him with Venice.” 

The Lion of Saint Mark 

Saint Mark was a Jew, and was converted 
to Christianity some time after the Ascension 
of Christ. 

Our story relates that he was of priestly 
descent, and under the Jewish law no man 
could be a priest who was deformed or dis- 
abled in any way. Accordingly, after his 
conversion, Saint Mark cut off one of his 
fingers, so that no matter what happened, his 
mutilated hand would make it quite impos- 
sible for him to ever again serve in any 
Jewish temple. 

Saint Mark was a great favorite of Saint 
Peter, and was the latter’s companion on one 
of his visits to Rome. 

Sailing along the coast of Italy, they 
stopped at Aquileia (called very often the 
“ Mother City of Venice ”), where Saint Peter 

25 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


founded a church, and made many converts 
to the Christian religion. 

Continuing their journey, the legend says 
their vessel was stranded on one of the un- 
inhabited islands where Venice now stands, 
and Saint Mark had a vision of the wonderful 
city to be built thereon. 

Some time later Saint Peter sent Saint 
Mark back to Egypt, and when the ship 
passed this island again its speed was sud- 
denly arrested, and an angel appeared to 
Saint Mark, and told him that some day his 
body would be brought to the city he had 
beheld in his former vision, and there placed 
in a marvellous church erected in his honor. 

Saint Mark lived and worked in Egypt 
many years. He founded the church at 
Alexandria, which afterwards became one of 
the most celebrated of the early Christian 
churches. 

Here he performed so many miracles that 
the Egyptians accused him of being a sor- 
cerer, and on the feast day of their god 
26 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Serapis, sixty-eight years after Christ, he was 
seized and dragged about over the rough 
streets, until death put an end to his misery. 

Saint Mark’s fellow Christians gathered 
up the poor mangled body, and he was buried 
in the church at Alexandria, where for sev- 
eral hundred years his remains were held in 
great veneration. 

In the meantime, the city of Saint Mark’s 
vision had developed into a beautiful reality. 

By the middle of the ninth century the 
Venetians had become very powerful, espe- 
cially in the Eastern countries, and when 
they wanted anything, from a kingdom to 
the bones of a martyr or saint, they gener- 
ally contrived to get it. 

Relics of all kinds were bought and sold 
like ordinary merchandise ; there was a regu- 
lar traffic in bodies and bones between East- 
ern and Western Europe, and, to judge by 
the number of them to be found in Venice, 
her citizens were greatly addicted to the 
collection of saintly bones. 

27 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


At that time the Mohammedan power was 
supreme in Alexandria, and the Christians 
were persecuted in every possible manner. 

Their lives were not safe ; their churches 
were destroyed ; their houses and properties 
were confiscated, and their most treasured 
relics were burned. 

Some Venetian merchants who were trad- 
ing in Alexandria begged the Christian 
priests for the body of Saint Mark, in order 
to save it from desecration. 

After much persuasion the priests reluc- 
tantly consented to the removal of Saint 
Mark’s remains to Venice. 

To get such a treasure as this away from 
Alexandria was quite a hard task, but the 
Venetians proved equal to it. 

They knew that all Mohammedans have 
a very great horror of pork, considering it as 
unclean. Accordingly, they placed the re- 
mains of Saint Mark in a large basket, and 
covered it with swine’s flesh. 

When any one tried to inspect the con- 
28 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 



tents of the 
Venetian 
loudly, “Kwa- 
which means 
word effectu- 
to further in- 
The mer- 
way reached 
without much j 
basket was 






basket, its 
bearers cried 
sir, kwasir,” 
pork, and that 
allyput astop 
vestigations. 
chants in this 
their vessel 
trouble ; the 
hidden aloft 
and the long 
Venice was 


in the sails, 
journey to 
begun. A few days later there was a frightful 
storm at sea, and in the midst of it Saint Mark 
29 


Elizabeth ' s Charm-String 


appeared to the captain and directed him to 
lower all the sails and steer in a certain direc- 
tion, or else the vessel would be driven against 
some hidden rocks. 

The captain did exactly as he was told, and 
after the storm subsided discovered that the 
appearance and advice of Saint Mark had in- 
deed saved the vessel from shipwreck. 

At last the vessel reached Venice safely, and 
the holy relics were received amidst great 
rejoicings, and, with many splendid cere- 
monies, were placed in the chapel of Saint 
Theodore, which was part of the Ducal 
Palace. 

Saint Mark was, of course, a much more 
important personage than Saint Theodore, 
so in order to sufficiently honor the great 
Evangelist, Saint Theodore was deposed, and 
Saint Mark was made patron saint of Ven- 
ice instead. 

This chapel of Saint Theodore was demol- 
ished, and a new church, dedicated to Saint 
Mark, was built in its place. This church 
30 


























Elizabeth s Charm-String 


was in turn destroyed by fire, and apparently 
the body of Saint Mark perished with it 

A grander and far more beautiful church 
was then erected, and it was consecrated in 
the year 1085 a.d. 

During all these years of building, the 
place where Saint Mark’s body had rested 
seems to have been forgotten ; but the Vene- 
tians had never reconciled themselves to the 
loss of their beloved patron saint, and they 
determined to pray for a miracle to show 
where his bones were to be found. 

A general fast day was appointed by the 
Doge, for the 25th of January, in the year 
1094, and the people of Venice gathered to- 
gether in the church and piazza of Saint Mark, 
and prayed fervently for a sign from God. 

Imagine their joy when they beheld a 
trembling in one of the marble pillars, which 
presently fell to pieces, and displayed to the 
faithful petitioners the bronze chest which 
contained the blessed relics. 

Now they repose under the high altar 
3 * 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


of the most wonderful church in the world, 
and among the marvellous mosaics which 
make this church so famous you will find 
pictured this legend of Saint Mark. 

The body of Saint Mark was received at 
Venice on January 31 in the year 828 a.d., 
and for hundreds of years that day was 
celebrated with a solemn High Mass, which 
was attended by the Doge and all the 
Signory, wearing their official robes. In- 
deed, it is still kept as a feast day, but 
with little of the magnificent splendor which 
characterized it during the years when Ven- 
ice reigned supreme. 

This is the story of the little Winged 
Lion as I heard it, and you see him so 
often in Venice that you feel very intimate 
with him. Indeed, one of my pet treasures 
is an old brass candlestick, in shape like 
unto “ The Winged Lion of Saint Mark.” 

“ Miss Belle,” said Genevieve with a 
laugh, “if you can tell us many more stories 
32 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

like that, I think we will find our Sunday- 
school lessons about the ‘ Acts of the 
Apostles ’ much more interesting.” 

“ If that is all you need, my dear, we will 
buy you the ‘ Lives of the Saints ’ to read.” X 
Every one laughed, for Genevieve’s literary 
tastes ran decidedly toward the “ Brothers 
Grimm.” 


V 


3 


33 



CHAPTER V 


THE LADY’S SAND 


N OW it is your turn, Margaret,” 
said Miss Belle. 

“ I choose this little grain of 
wheat, set in silver,” replied Margaret. 
“ Wheat is certainly a queer article to find 
on a charm-string.” 

“ In Holland that grain of wheat would 
probably be called ‘ The Lady’s Sand,’ ” be- 
gan Miss Belle. “ Girls, do any of you 
know where the Zuyder Zee is?” 

“ Yes, indeed we do,” answered Alma. 
“ It is on the coast of Holland, and three or 
four islands separate it from the North Sea.” 
34 



Elizabeths Charm-String 


“ That is quite right, but I dare say that 
none of you have ever heard that the waters 
of the Zuyder Zee now roll and toss over 
what was once cultivated land.” 

The Lady’s Sand 

There is a little town called Stavoren on 
the coast of Holland; it is now little more 
than a fishing village, but according to the 
old legends it was once a prosperous and 
very beautiful city, protected from the ravages 
of the sea by a splendid system of dikes. 

Many of the citizens were so enormously 
wealthy that they paved the floors of their 
palaces with gold; their walls were hung 
with the most expensive tapestries, and their 
furniture was covered with cloth of gold. 

To gratify their own desires no expense 
was too great, but they paid no attention 
to the needs of the poorer classes, and 
treated their dependants like so many dogs. 

There was a certain unmarried woman 
who was probably the richest person in 
35 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


Stavoren. She owned countless ships and 
houses; her income was so enormous that 
she could not possibly spend it all ; but it 
never occurred to her to share this super- 
fluity with the unfortunate people who had 
little or nothing. 

In spite of all this wealth, she was very 
grasping and avaricious, and was always de- 
vising new ways to increase her possessions. 

One day a very queer notion entered her 
head. Sending for her cleverest captain, she 
ordered him to take the largest ship she 
owned, sail away from Stavoren, and bring 
back to her a cargo of the most precious 
thing to be found in the whole world. 

He could go any place he wished, but 
must return within a year. 

This task struck the captain as being a 
very difficult one, and he endeavored to learn 
from the lady what she considered to be the 
most precious thing in the world. She would 
express no opinion, however, but repeated 
her instructions most emphatically. 

36 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

The captain was almost in despair, for he 
knew that no two people think alike on such 
a subject, and he had no idea what would 
please his mistress. 

At length he concluded that life itself 
was our dearest possession, and that what- 



precious thing in the world. 

So with his mind at rest, he set sail for 
Dantzic, and quickly returned with a cargo of 
the very finest wheat that money could buy. 

When the lady heard that her vessel was 
in the harbor, she invited all her richest 
friends to meet at her house, and learn the 
result of the voyage. 


37 


ElizabetKs Charm-String 

The captain arrived, and made his report. 

When his mistress learned that this long- 
looked-for, much-talked-about cargo was noth- 
ing more wonderful than plain, every-day- 
wheat, she grew almost insane with rage, and 
ordered the captain to dump the whole load 
of grain into the sea. 

The captain implored her not to do such 
a wicked, wasteful deed when so many poor 
people were perishing for lack of the wheat 
she herself did not want. 

The lady only became more furious, and 
in order to satisfy herself that her com- 
mands were literally obeyed, she followed 
the captain to the place where the ship was 
anchored. 

The kind-hearted captain fell on his knees 
and begged her again to give the wheat to 
the poor, but she was merciless, and forced 
the captain to throw every grain of it into 
the sea. 

Exasperated by this sinful waste, one of 
the sailors turned to the lady and cried out : 

38 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


‘Just as sure as God is a God of Justice, 
you will some day beg for bread from the very 
people to whom you have refused it to-day.” 

The lady laughed scornfully, and, taking 
a ring from her finger, threw it into the sea, 
saying : 

“ I will expect my punishment when I 
again see this ring.” 

Some little time later, the lady was invited 
to a grand banquet at the house of a very 
wealthy neighbor. During the meal, the 
cook placed before the host a golden platter. 
On this lay a large baked fish, which was 
carved and served to the guests. 

When the lady began to eat her portion, 
she found in it the ring which she had cast 
into the sea. It had been swallowed by the 
fish, and returned to its owner in this curious 
fashion. 

Remembering her own words, the lady 
was of course very much frightened, and 
began to think it might be well for her to 
be less cruel in the future. 


39 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


But it was too late ! The curse of the poor 
sailor had fallen upon her, and she herself 
had prophesied the time of her punishment. 

One disaster followed another : her money 
investments turned out badly ; fires destroyed 
her palaces ; bad harvests ruined her farms ; 
storms and floods wrecked her vessels, and 
before many months passed over her head 
she found herself as badly off as the poorest 
person to whom she had refused help in the 
time of her prosperity. 

Her former friends turned her from their 
doors, and when she begged from the poor, 
they told her to go make bread out of the 
wheat she had thrown away. 

Spurned thus by everybody, starving and 
homeless, she died unhonored and alone. 

But, according to the legends, the evil she 
had done lived after her. 

As time passed on, the sailors and fisher- 
men noticed that the entrance to the harbor 
of Stavoren was becoming obstructed by a 
sand-bar. It increased so rapidly that in a 
40 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


short time it reached the surface of the 
water, and not even small vessels could 
cross it. 

The sand was covered by a coarse vegeta- 
tion that looked a little like wheat, and the 
sailors all declared that this great misfor- 
tune had its origin in the drifting of the 
discarded grain, and called it “ The Lady’s 
Sand.” 

A number of people went to the chief 
magistrates, and begged that something be 
done to remove this hindrance to the com- 
merce of Stavoren ; since ships could no 
longer enter the harbor, there was little or 
no work for the sailors and laborers, and 
they had no money for the support of their 
families. 

No attention whatever was paid to their 
entreaties, and the poor people of Stavoren 
were almost in despair. 

Alas ! a still greater disaster was to follow. 

Through some slight defect in the sea- 
wall, salt water leaked into the fresh-water 
4i 


Elizabeth's Charm-String 


supply of the city, making it, of course, unfit 
to drink. 

Again did the suffering people beg for 
relief, and again was it refused. 

The wealthy citizens 
had enormous quantities 
of wine stored away ; 
enough to supply the en- 
tire city until the leak 
could be repaired and the 
reservoirs purified. 

But no ! these cruel peo- 
ple, themselves rolling in 
wealth, dressed in the 
finest of clothes, drink- 
ing the costliest wines, 
laughed at the distress of 
their unfortunate fellow 
citizens, and refused them 
even the dregs of their wine and beer casks. 

Their punishment came quickly, but it 
was one that fell on the innocent as well as 
the guilty. 



42 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


The little leak, being overlooked or neg- 
lected, gradually widened, thus weakening 
the sea-wall. One stormy night the waters 
of the North Sea broke through the protect- 
ing dikes, and overwhelmed the entire city. 

Many thousands of people were drowned 
that dreadful night ; those to whom life was 
a joy, whose position and wealth enabled 
them to gratify every whim, and those to 
whom life seemed to promise nothing but 
poverty and trouble, shared the same fate. 

The little kingdom of Holland needs more 
land than its present area affords, and the 
Dutch government is talking about draining 
the Zuyder Zee, and reclaiming all that once 
fertile land. 

So it is possible, girls, that some day we 
may learn just how much or how little truth 
there is in this story of the sunken city of 
Stavoren.” 


43 



CHAPTER VI 


THE DOGE AND THE FISHERMAN 


N OW, Alma, you choose,” said Eliz- 
abeth. 

“You may be sure Alma will 
hit on a good long story,” said Marie, who 
was inclined to be slangy. “ She always 
manages to get more for her money than all 
the rest of us put together.” 

When Alma held up her choice, Miss 
Belle laughed heartily. “ You are surely 
right this time, Marie. I could make four 
44 


ElizabetU s Charm-String 

stories out of that charm, each with a plenti- 
ful sprinkling of saints.” 

Alma had selected a small signet ring. 
From it hung four tiny ornaments : a little 
gold cap, very like the one worn by the God- 
dess of Liberty ; a silver shield engraved with 
a red cross ; a fish, and the fourth looked 
like three wee balls welded together. 

“ Before I get to the real story,” began 
Miss Belle, “ I must give you a little infor- 
mation, so you will understand it better. 

“You all know that Venice is actually 
founded on a number of small islands; for 
all practical purposes her streets are the 
canals which intersect the city in every direc- 
tion, and the widest, or Grand Canal, winds 
through the city like a gigantic S. 

“ Between Venice and the open sea are 
other islands, which protect her from the 
ravages of the Adriatic. 

“ One of them is called the Lido, and on 
it stands the church of San Niccolo di 
Lido, where, so the Venetians claim, the 
45 


ElizabetEs Charm-String 


body of Saint Nicholas has been preserved 
for several hundred years. 

“ He was the patron saint of poor people, 
of children, of sailors, in fact of every one 
in distress, and the protector against thieves 
or violence. 

“ Now at the end of the Grand Canal, 
nearly opposite the Piazzeta of Saint Mark, is 
the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, with its 
church of the same name, where the relics 
of ‘ Saint George, the Warrior Saint and 
Martyr,’ find their resting-place. 

“ Keep these things in mind, please, so 
that you may the better understand this inter- 
esting story.” 

The Doge and the Fisherman 

On the 25th of February in the year 1345 
(there is, however, some dispute about the 
exact year) there arose the most awful storm 
that had ever been known in Venice. 

It rained in torrents for several days, and 
the water in the lagoons rose higher and 
46 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

higher, threatening to overwhelm Venice in 
its fury. 

While the storm was raging, an old fisher- 
man fastened his boat to the “ molo ” or quay 
of Saint Mark, which is only a short distance 
from the church. 

He had been there but a little while when 
he beheld on the molo an old man, very 
grave and dignified, who desired to be 
ferried over to San Giorgio Maggiore. 

The fisherman at first refused to cross in 
such frightful weather, but the old man in- 
sisted, promising a liberal payment for the 
service. 

It was hard work to row in such a sea, 
but at last they got safely over. 

The stranger landed, bade the fisherman 
wait for him, and entered the church. Pres- 
ently he returned, accompanied by a young 
man who was evidently a soldier, since he 
wore a coat of mail. 

Both men embarked, and ordered the 
fisherman to take them to San Niccolo di 
47 


RlizabetU s Charm-String 

Lido. He looked at the tossing waves and 
declared the task was an impossible one. 
The men persuaded him to try it by the 
promise of still greater reward, but it was 
with the greatest diffi- 
culty that he suc- 
ceeded in reaching the 
Lido. 

Here the two men 
landed and went into 
the church, returning 
quickly and bringing 
with them “ a man of 
great age, with a face 
of heavenly sweet- 
ness/’ dressed in the robes of a Bishop. 

They then commanded the fisherman to 
row out between the forts which protected 
the harbor, into the open sea, assuring 
him that the task would be made easy for 
him. 

In vain he protested. The three men in- 
sisted on going, and, marvellous to relate, as 
48 



Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


they progressed the sea about the boat was 
much calmer than elsewhere. 

When they reached the mouth of the har- 
bor “they saw coming towards them, with 
such speed that it seemed to fly over 
the water, a tremendous ship manned by 
devils.” 

The storm increased its fury, and it 
seemed as though Venice would be utterly 
annihilated. 

Suddenly the sea grew calm. The three 
men stood up in their little boat and made 
the sign of the cross. 

Wonder of wonders! the ship with its 
fiendish crew disappeared and the storm as 
suddenly ceased. 

The strangers then ordered the fisherman 
to row them back, the aged Bishop to San 
Niccolo di Lido, the knight to San Giorgio, 
and the old man to San Marco. 

His task finished, the fisherman naturally 
demanded the promised reward. 

“You have earned it well,” said the man, 
49 


4 


Rlizabetti s Charm-String 


“and the Doge himself will pay you. I 
am Saint Mark, the protector of Venice; 
your other passengers were the knight 
and martyr Saint George, and the blessed 
Bishop, Saint Nicholas of Bari. 

“ Go to-morrow to the Doge, and tell him 
all you have seen and done; and that by 
your obedience to our orders you enabled 
us to save Venice from destruction. 

“ Tell him also that the storm arose be- 
cause a certain wicked schoolmaster had sold 
himself to the Devil, and afterwards hanged 
himself.” 

But the fisherman claimed his payment, 
saying, “ The Doge will never believe such a 
wonderful story from a poor man like me.” 

The saint took a ring from his finger and 
gave it to the fisherman. 

“Take this ring,” he said. “Show it to 
the Doge, and tell him to look for it in 
the sanctuary where it belongs.” 

With these words Saint Mark disappeared. 

The next morning the fisherman went to 
50 











Elizabeth s Charm-String 


the Doge, told him the marvellous story, 
and gave him the ring. 

The Doge sent for the Procurators (they 
who have charge of the church and treas- 
ury of Saint Mark) and bade them look for 
the ring, as the stranger had directed. 

This ring should have been found in the 
sanctuary, where it was kept under a triple 
lock ; but although the lock had not been 
tampered with, the ring was gone from its 
proper place. 

Then the Doge and the Procurators 
knew that a miracle had taken place, 
and a solemn High Mass was celebrated 
in Saint Mark’s Church to express their 
gratitude. 

The ring was restored to the sanctuary, 
and the poor fisherman received a life pen- 
sion as his reward. 

“ That is a fine story,” said Alma, picking 
up the little charm again. “ I suppose these 
things represent the ring of Saint Mark 

5i 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

and the four men, but I do not quite under- 
stand which is which.” 

“Why,” said Elizabeth, “the ring itself 
stands for Saint Mark, and the fish for the 
fisherman ; any one could see that much.” 

“Yes,” added Genevieve, “and if the Saint 
George at Venice is the one who killed a 
dragon, the little shield belongs to him. 
Perhaps I do not know much about the 
Apostles, but I do know the story of that 
dragon.” 

“ Then do please tell it to us,” said Marie. 

“ All right. Of course I cannot tell it the 
way Miss Belle would, but I will do my 
best.” 


52 


CHAPTER VII 


SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON — THE 
DOGE’S BONNET — SAINT NICHOLAS OF 
BARI 

S AINT GEORGE was the son of 
Christian parents, and he must have 
been of noble birth because he was 
a captain, or tribune, in the Roman army 
under the Emperor Diocletian. He was very 
brave, and did as many valiant deeds as any 
knight of King Arthur’s Round Table ever 
performed. 

Once when he was travelling to join his 
legion, he came to a heathen city called 
Selene, whose inhabitants were having a 
dreadful experience with a dragon, that lived 
in a marshy lake beyond the city. 

This dragon roamed around devouring 
every living thing it met, until the people 
became so frightened that they shut them- 
53 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


selves within the city walls, for even the 
dragon’s breath was poisonous. 

Before long the horrid beast had eaten up 
all the sheep and cattle 
outside the walls, and 
then began to attack the 
city. 

To save themselves 
the people sent out two 
sheep every day for the 
dragon’s dinner. Before 
long all the sheep were 
devoured, and they had 
to send two little chil- 
dren instead. 

Of course everybody 
was very unhappy, for 
nobody knew whose 
child would be the next one to go. 

The victims were chosen by drawing lots, 
and one day the choice fell on the King’s 
only daughter, a beautiful little girl, fifteen 
years old, called Cleodoiinda. 

54 



ElizabetJi s Charm-String 

The King was almost crazy with grief, 
and begged the people to let his daughter go 
free. He offered all his gold, his jewels, and 
even his kingdom if only Cleodolinda could 
be saved from the dragon. 

But his subjects did not think this would 
be at all just or fair, since it was by the 
King’s decree that they too must lose their 
children. 

The King continued to beg them to 
have mercy on his daughter, until the 
people grew so angry they tried to burn 
down his palace, so he was obliged to 
submit. 

One morning the little Princess, dressed 
in her finest clothes, was sent outside to the 
dragon. She was a brave little thing, and 
declared that she was more than willing to 
go, if only she could save the people from 
this dreadful beast. 

The road to the dragon’s lake was 
strewn with bones, and as the little Prin- 
cess walked along, she cried aloud and 
55 


Elizabeth's Charm-String 


prayed to God to deliver her dear father 
and all his subjects. 

Suddenly she heard the sound of a horse’s 
hoofs, and looking up saw a handsome young 
man riding swiftly toward her. He had long 
fair hair, and was dressed in shining armor, 
and carried a shield decorated with a red 
cross. 

When he saw a charming young girl, very 
finely dressed, crying as if her heart was 
broken, he stopped his horse and asked what 
was the cause of her tears. 

The little Princess then told him the 
whole story. 

In return, he told her his name was 
George, and that he was a soldier. He had 
never before heard of this terrible dragon, 
and it was only by chance that he was riding 
in the direction of the beast’s lair. 

The Princess then begged Saint George 
to hurry away before the dragon caught 
sight of him. 

“ That I will not do,” he cried, “ but I will 
56 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


stay here and fight this monster, in the name 
of Christ.” 

Very soon they heard the dragon’s roar, 
and saw it flying toward them. 

Saint George turned his horse and rode 
as fast as he could at the dragon, and after a 
hard fight, he thrust his lance through the 
creature and pinned it squirming to the 
ground. Then he asked Cleodolinda for 
her girdle, and, tying it about the dragon, 
gave the Princess the end of the sash. They 
went back to the city, the dragon crawling 
after them like a beaten dog. 

When the people saw them coming to- 
ward the city, they were at first very much 
frightened. Saint George reassured them, 
and told them how he had conquered the 
beast in Christ’s name. Then he cut off the 
dragon’s head with his sword. 

He told the people all about the Chris- 
tian religion, and converted the King, the 
Princess, and a very large number of the 
people. 


57 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

The King loaded him with money and 
jewels, but he refused these things for him- 
self, and had them all distributed among the 
poor. 

“ Did he not marry the Princess ? ” cried 
Margaret. 

No, he did not. He went back to Pales- 
tine, and found that the Emperor Diocle- 
tian had ordered another persecution of the 
Christians, and this decree was fastened up 
in all the public places. 

When Saint George read it, he tore it 
down and trampled upon it. 

This act was certain proof that Saint 
George was a Christian, and because he was 
a soldier of the Roman army it was also 
an act of treason. 

He was condemned to torture by the Pro- 
consul Dacian, but he bore all his sufferings 
bravely. 

Once they gave him poison to drink, but 
he made the sign of the cross over it, and 
58 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

the poison did him no harm. Another time 
he was bound to a wheel full of sharp blades, 
but two angels appeared and broke the 
wheel. 

Then they took him to a pagan temple 
and tried to make him offer up a sacrifice to 
the pagan deity, but he knelt down and 
prayed for strength, and in answer to his 
prayer lightning fell from heaven and de- 
stroyed the temple. 

Papa says that these miracles are only 
allegories, meant to express that God will 
always help us to overcome evil, if we only 
try hard enough, and have faith in Him. 

At last Dacian gave orders that Saint 
George should be beheaded, and the “ War- 
rior Martyr ” knelt down and bent his neck 
to the sword, meeting death like a brave 
Christian soldier. 

“ Genevieve, where did you read that 
story ? ” inquired Elizabeth. 

“ Papa told it to me. He has photographs 
59 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


of two very queer old pictures that he saw 
in Venice. One of them is taken from a 
fresco painted on the wall of a church, by 
a man called Carpaccio ; papa calls it a ‘ story ’ 
picture. Saint George is riding the dearest 
little horse as hard as he can toward the 
dragon ; his hair is floating behind ; his lance 
is all ready to strike. The Princess is under 
a tree, crying and wringing her hands ; the 
ground is covered with skulls and bones, 
and away off in the distance you see the 
city, and the people all watching their little 
Princess. 

“ But the picture I like best was painted 
by an artist named Mantegna. Across the 
top hangs a garland of fruit and flowers, and 
below this Saint George is standing alone, 
with his foot on the dragon’s head. 

“ Papa says this picture really means that 
Saint George overcame ‘ the world, the flesh, 
and the Devil,’ which the dragon represents. 
But he is such a valiant, handsome little 
warrior, that it is pleasanter to think of 
60 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

him as going about the world fighting real 
dragons and helping real people. Do you 
not think so too, Miss Belle ? ” 

“ I often think,” Miss Belle answered, “ that 
that version of a picture or story which is 
the greatest personal 
help, is the best one 
to accept.” 

There was a mo- 
ment’s silence, and 
then Alma asked, 

“ Miss Belle, is not that 
little cap the ‘ bonnet ’ 
of the Doge ? ” 

“ Yes, dear, and if I 
remember rightly, the first bonnet used was 
given to the city of Venice by the nuns of 
San Zaccaria, a very wealthy convent. It 
was made of pure gold and gorgeously dec- 
orated with jewels. The Doge always wore 
it on occasions of great ceremony, as the 
symbol of his sovereignty.” 

“ That leaves the three balls for Saint 
61 




Elizabeth s Charm-String 


Nicholas. Was he a pawnbroker before he 
was converted ? ” asked Margaret. 

“ No, but he was quite as popular with very 
poor people. He was, and is now, the patron 
saint and protector of the poor, and particu- 
larly of little children. In Russia, in Ger- 
many, and in all Catholic countries, children 
are taught to consider themselves under the 
especial care of this saint. You American 
children do him honor, for he is none other 
than our dear Santa Claus, that name being an 
abbreviation or corruption of Saint Nicholas. 

“You can find a number of stories about 
those three balls, but the one most frequently 
told is this.” 

The Legend of Saint Nicholas 

The balls are really three bags of money. 

Saint Nicholas was very rich, but he spent 
all his money doing good. 

In the city over which he presided as 
Bishop lived a certain nobleman who had 
three very beautiful daughters. 

62 


Elizabeth 's Charm-String 


This man, growing poorer day by day, 
could see no way of providing for his 
daughters except by selling them into slav- 
ery, because he could give them no marriage 
portions. 



At last they had not even bread enough 
to eat, and the father was in despair. 

Saint Nicholas, learning of their distress, 
passed under the windows of their home one 
dark night and tossed in a bag of gold. 
With this the nobleman portioned his oldest 
daughter. 


63 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Again did the good Bishop throw a bag 
of gold through the window, and with it the 
second daughter was married off. 

But when Saint Nicholas came a third 
time, the nobleman, who had been watching 
in hopes of discovering his benefactor, saw 
him, and, falling at his feet, kissed them 
gratefully. 

Saint Nicholas, however, made the noble- 
man promise not to tell any one who had 
helped his daughters, for the Bishop was one 
of those people “ who do good by stealth 
and blush to find it fame.” 


64 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE IMP OF LINCOLN 

I F Aunt Belle is not too tired, there is 
just time for one more story before 
lunch,” said Mrs. Staats. “ That must 
satisfy you for to-day. Indeed, I do not be- 
lieve your small heads can carry all you 
have heard this morning.” 

“ I am not at all tired, and I love these old 
legends as much as the children do. You 
choose next, Genevieve, as a reward for tell- 
ing your story so prettily.” 

“ Miss Belle, to hear about so many saints 
at one time has made me feel so hopelessly 
naughty,” sighed Genevieve, “suppose you 
tell us next about this jolly-looking little 
Devil. Maybe that will even things up a 
little by making me feel that there are worse 
beings than myself.” 

5 


65 


ElizabetJi s Charm-String 


“ It is rather queer,” began Miss Belle, 
“ but the home of that saucy little chap is in 
a famous cathedral, and we must go all the 
way to England to learn about him. 

“ A few hours’ ride from London is the old 
town of Lincoln. It scrambles up and down 



crowned by one of the grandest cathedrals 
in the world, and on that hilltop the wind 
seems never to stop blowing. 

“ In the old monastic days it is said that 
each newly appointed Bishop was obliged to 
66 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

ascend this hill on his knees, but I suppose 
the glory awaiting him at the end of this 
penance was compensation for the humiliat- 
ing method of reaching it. 

“In the Lincoln Cathedral, the ‘ choir ’ — 
or place occupied by the priests and choris- 
ters while chanting the service — is a won- 
derful example of nnrp 



Gothic architecture, and 
it is called the ‘Angel 
Choir ’ because of its 
many beautifully sculp- 
tured angels. 


“ Seated in the midst 
of this angelic host you 


will see that little Imp, 
his ears cocked up im- 
pertinently, and one leg carelessly crossed 
over the other. 

“The old legend I am going to tell you 
about says that as long as he sits there in- 
side the cathedral the wind must keep on 
blowing outside. 


67 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ Near the cathedral is a little shop where 
photographs of the church and images of the 
Imp are sold, and here also you can buy the 
legend of the Imp quaintly told in rhyme. 

“ I am going to read this to you, because it 
tells the story so very much better than I can 
relate it.” 

The Legend of the Imp of Lincoln 

The Devil was in a good-humor one day, 

And let out his sprightly young demons to play. 
One dived in the sea, and was not at all wet ; 

One jumped in a furnace, no scorch did he get; 
One rode on a rainbow; one played with the dirt; 
One handled forked lightning, nor got any hurt; 
One rode on the wind, as he would on a steed, 
And thus to “ Old Lindum ” was carried with 
speed. 

“ And now,” says the Imp, “take me into the 
church, 

His Lordship of Lindum we ’ll knock off his perch. 
We ’ll blow up the Chapter, and blow up the Dean, 
The Canons we’ll cannon right over the screen. 
We ’ll blow up the singers, bass, tenor, and boy, 
And the blower himself shall a blowing enjoy. 

68 


ElizabetJi s Charm-String 


The organist, too, shall right speedily find 
That I ’ll go one better in raising the wind. 

We ’ll blow out the windows and blow out the lights, 
Tear vestments to tatters, put ritual to rights. 

Now the wind has his faults, but you ’ll find on the 
whole, 

If somewhat uncouth, he ’s an orthodox soul; 

He would n’t blow hard on a Monarch, I ween, 

Nor ruffle the robes of a Bishop or Dean. 

And if for Dissenters he cares not the least, 

You won’t catch him blowing up Deacon or Priest. 
The man in the street he may rudely unrig, 

But he snatches not Judge’s or Barrister’s wig. 
When he enters a church, as the musical know, 

’T is only to make the great organ pipes blow. 

So in sorrowful anger he said to the elf, 

“ No ! here / shall stop, you may go by yourself.” 
The impudent Imp in derision replied, 

“ Such half-hearted folks are much better outside. 
To force you to enter I cannot, but see, 

Till I've finished my fun, you must wait here for 
me." 

Then he entered the porch in an imp-ious way, 
Declaring the nave should be spell’d with a k. 

He roamed through each transept, he stroll’d in 
each aisle, 

Then he thought in the choir he would romp for 
a while. 


69 


Elizabeth’s Charm-String 


As he passed ’neath the rood no obeisance he 
made, 

No rev’rence at all to the altar he paid. 

He thumbed both the Priest’s and the Chorister’s 
books, 

And cast on the saints his most insolent looks. 

The chalice and patens were safe in a box; 

He was stopp’d in the act of unpicking the locks. 
For, seeing some angels, he cried, “ Pretty things, 
A sackful of feathers I ’ll pluck from your wings, 
To make me a couch when I’m tired of this joke.” 
Ah ! soon he was sorry that rudely he spoke, 

For the tiniest angel in dignified tone 
Cried, “ Imp-ious Imp, be ye turned into stone ! ” 
As he was, as you ’ll see when to Lincoln you 
stray ; 

And the wind has been waiting outside till this 
day. 

You can’t see the wind, but no matter for that; 
Believe ! or he ’ll rob you of cloak or of hat. 

“ How do you feel now, Genevieve ? ” slyly 
asked Marie. 

“ Hungry,” was the prompt reply, for just 
then the luncheon bell rang. 


;o 


CHAPTER IX 


THE SANTISSIMO BAMBINO — THE MADONNA 
OF SAN AGOSTINO 

T ■ ^HE next morning dawned with the 
■ rain still falling steadily. 

“ I am afraid, children,” said Mrs. 
Staats, as she stood looking out of the din- 
ing-room window, “ that you have struck very 
bad weather, and will not be able to have 
much outdoor pleasure during your visit.” 

“ Do not bother about that,” said Gene- 
vieve, who never would look at the dark side 
of things. “We can have good weather and 
tennis and that sort of thing at any time, 
but Miss Belle and her stories are very 
scarce articles, so we will take all we can 
get, and be thankful.” 

The other girls echoed these sentiments, 
and before long they were all comfortably 
7i 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

seated in the big hall, waiting for Marie 
Gardiner to select a charm. 

“Here is a little silver baby wrapped up 
something like an In- 
dian papoose,” she 
finally said, “ only this 
baby wears a crown. 
Is it a royal baby, Miss 
Belle?” 

“No, indeed! It is 
a far more important 
personage. That is the 
‘Santissimo Bambino/ 
the ‘Holy Baby’ of 
Rome. It is very often 
called the ‘ Miraculous 
Little Doctor of Rome,’ 
because, according to 
the popular belief, it has effected more won- 
derful cures and earned more money by its 
services than all the medical men in Rome 
put together. 

“ What does it look like ? you ask.” 

72 



Elizabeths Charm-String 


The Santissimo Bambino 

The Santissimo Bambino is a large wooden 
doll, wrapped, as are nearly all Italian babies, 
in swaddling clothes, and it wears a crown, 
just as you see it on the charm-string. Baby 
and crown are covered with a mass of gold 
and jewelled ornaments, the gifts of people 
who believe themselves to have been cured 
by the Bambino’s help, and its history, so far 
as I could learn it, is as wonderful as its cures. 
Long, long ago there lived in Palestine a 
Franciscan monk, who desired very much to 
own an image of the infant Jesus, to hang on 
the bare walls of his little cell. 

He was too poor to buy one, so he cut a 
piece of wood from a tree that was growing 
on the Mount of Olives, and out of this 
carved the figure of a little child. 

The monk could carve quite well, but he 
knew very little about the art of painting, 
and all his efforts to color the features of his 
image were very unsatisfactory. 

73 


Elizabeth s Charm- String 

One day, when he felt completely dis- 
couraged by his many failures, he happened 
to remember that Saint Luke, while on earth, 
had painted several pictures of the Virgin 
Mary and of Christ. 

The pious monk fasted all day, praying 
earnestly to Saint Luke for help and inspira- 
tion, and went to sleep at night feeling sure 
that his prayers would be answered. While 
he was sleeping, Saint Luke came down from 
heaven and finished painting the little image. 

Saint Luke was a physician as well as an 
artist, so perhaps he also gave to the Bam- 
bino its miraculous power of healing. 

When the monk awoke and saw the sweet 
face of the child Jesus smiling at him, he 
was overcome with joy, and, falling on his 
knees, offered grateful thanks to the kind 
saint who had given him such great hap- 
piness. 

It now became the monk’s earnest de- 
sire to show this wonderful image to the 
Pope. 


74 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Receiving permission to travel from the 
Father Superior of his convent, the monk 
started on his long journey to Rome; but, 
sad to relate, the vessel on which he sailed 
was wrecked, and every soul on board 
perished. 

The only thing that escaped the general 
destruction was the little Bambino, which by 
some supernatural means — perhaps by the 
aid of Saint Luke — was floated along the 
Mediterranean Sea and the river Tiber, 
until it rested at the foot of the Capitoline 
Hill at Rome. 

On this hill stands the old, old church of 
Ara Coeli ; this name means “ Highest 
Heaven,” and is very appropriate, because to 
reach the front portals of this church you 
must climb up one hundred and twenty-four 
steep stone steps. 

Nobody seems to know just when or how 
the monks and priests first discovered the 
miraculous power of the Santissimo Bam- 
bino, but its fame spread abroad very rapidly. 

75 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

Whenever anybody was seriously ill the 
Bambino would be sent for, and its mere 
presence in the sick room apparently worked 

a cure, or at 
least gave re- 
lief from suf- 
fering. 

In the old 
monastic days 
the Santissimo 
Bambino al- 
ways had its 
own private 
attendants; 
carriages and 
horses were 
kept for its 
especial use. 
When it was 
sent on its charitable errands it was ac- 
companied by priests and acolytes, carrying 
lighted candles and burning incense, and as 
they passed through the streets every person 
76 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 


they met was obliged to bare the head and 
kneel reverently. Indeed, to a slight extent, 
I believe this is still the case. 

“ I will tell you yet another wonderful 
adventure of this Bambino.” 

A Second Legend 

Once upon a time a certain invalid lady, 
who had been greatly benefited by a short 
visit from the Santissimo Bambino, thought 
it would be a very fine thing if she could 
have it always with her. 

So she had an exact copy of the “ Holy 
Baby ” made, and then begged for another 
visit from the “ Miraculous Little Doctor.” 

After the attendants had gone away, leav- 
ing the Bambino alone with the sick lady, 
she dressed the false baby in the clothes of 
the real one. So exact was the resemblance 
that the fraud was not detected when the 
priests returned to carry the Bambino home. 

During the night, which was a very stormy 
77 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


one, the monks of Ara Coeli were awakened 
by a loud ringing of bells and heavy knocks 
on the church doors, mingled with the plain- 
tive cries of a little child. 

When they opened the front doors there 
in the rain stood the poor little Bambino, 
naked, and shivering with cold. 

The monks could scarcely believe their 
eyes, for they thought that their precious 
baby was safe and sound in its golden 
box. 

Going to the sacristy, they examined the 
Bambino they had put away so carefully, and 
the deception was quickly discovered. 

Stripped of its stolen finery, the false 
baby was returned to the wicked lady who 
had been guilty of this sacrilege. 

The real Bambino was restored to its 
glory and its home, and from that day to 
this has never been left alone when sent on 
its errands of mercy. 

In this church of Ara Cceli is a chapel 
called the “ Presepio,” or “ Manger,” which 
73 


Rlizabettis Charm-String 


is opened only between Christmas Eve and 
the Feast of Epiphany, which falls on the 
6th of January. 

Here is shown a tableau representing the 
birth of Christ: in front are the Virgin Mary 
and Saint 1 Joseph; beside them the manger 
where the Christ-child lies, and behind stand 
an ox and an ass ; at the sides kneel the 
wondering shepherds, and the kings from 
the east with their gifts ; above is God the 
Father and a cloud of the angelic host. The 
life-sized figures are carved from wood, and 
so admirably painted and costumed that 
they look almost like real people. 

On Christmas Eve the Santissimo Bam- 
bino is taken from the sacristy and carried 
by the priests of Ara Cceli in a grand pro- 
cession to this chapel, and placed in the man- 
ger to represent the infant Jesus. The old 
church is dark and gloomy, but the chapel 
is brilliantly lighted, and the whole effect 
is very, very beautiful. 

Around one of the church pillars at this 
79 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


time a platform is erected, and here, every 
afternoon, little children recite and sing in 4 
honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of 
their beloved “ Bambino Jesu.” 

The scenes outside the church are quite 
as interesting as those within, for* the long 
flight of steps is filled with a motley crowd 
of people. Peddlers with baskets full of 
Christmas toys, rosaries, medals, and images 
and pictures of the Bambino cry their wares 
and urge people to buy. They probably do a 
thriving business, for I suppose every person 
in Rome, be he rich or poor, noble or peasant, 
Roman or foreigner, goes to the Ara Cceli 
during the twelve days the “ Presepio ” is open 
and the Santissimo Bambino is on view. 

The Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated 
in honor of the visit of the “ wise men from 
the east,” who went to Bethlehem to worship 
the young Child. 

On that day there is always a very grand 
vesper service at the Ara Cceli. 

The altar is decorated profusely with flow- 
80 


ElizabetJi s Charm-String 

ers and ablaze with lights. The priests wear 
their most gorgeous vestments, and frequently 
a Cardinal officiates. 

After the benediction is pronounced, the 
priests and acolytes, some swinging the sil- 
ver incense burners, some carrying lighted 
candles and gay banners, march from the 
high altar to the “ Manger.” The Bambino 
is lifted from its place by the officiating 
priest, and the procession makes the circuit 
of the church, stopping at the front door to 
show the Bambino to the crowds kneeling 
outside. 

Then the chapel is closed until the next 
Christmas Eve, and the Santissimo Bambino 
goes back to rest in the sacristy until there 
is another request for its presence and help. 

“And do the Italians really believe that 
the Bambino itself works all these miracles ? ” 
asked Elizabeth. 

It was quite a little while before Miss 
Belle replied to her niece. 

6 8 1 


Elizabeth s C harm- String 


“ My dear,” she said at last, “ I hardly 
know how to answer you.” 

The Madonna of Saint Agostino 
The Italian peasantry have but little edu- 
cation, and many of them are very, very poor. 
They are intensely imaginative and deeply 
religious; all the beauty and poetry in 
their lives seem to reach them one way or 
another through the church, and it is not 
at all astonishing to find that so many of the 
lower classes believe implicitly in the Santis- 
simo Bambino’s power to heal. 

A large number of Italian churches con- 
tain a miracle-working image or picture, all 
of which goes to prove that such things 
have a powerful hold on the imaginations 
of these simple peasants. 

Educated people have, of course, long ago 
outgrown these mediaeval beliefs, but many 
of them think that an object which has been 
held in veneration for several hundred years 
is entitled to respect on that score alone. 

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Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


I have seen many men and women of 
refinement and good education kiss the foot 
of a miracle-working Madonna as humbly 
as the ragged, ignorant peasant kneeling 
beside them. Most of these figures and pic- 
tures have many touching stories connected 
with them. 

In the great church of Saint Agostino 
in Rome is a famous Madonna which was 
sculptured by skilful hands several hundred 
years ago. 

At the end of the church where her chapel 
stands, the walls are completely covered 
with the grateful offerings of the people 
whom she has helped, and the sweet-faced 
Madonna is herself covered with jewels. 

One story as told to me was very sweet 
and touching. It said that the first prayer 
for the Madonna’s help came from a peasant 
woman too poor to get medicine for her 
only son, who lay sick unto death. She 
implored the Madonna for the sake of the 
little Jesus to help her. 

83 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


The pitying “Mother” sadly answered 
that she would do so gladly, but was herself 
so poor that she could offer only her prayers 
for the sick child’s recovery. 

The good God answered her prayer and 
the boy was entirely cured of his illness. 

The grateful peasant told other women 
how the Blessed Mother was as poor as 
they were, and these simple, kindly people 
began bringing the Madonna their humble 
offerings, so that never again would she 
be unable to help those who sought her 
aid. 


“ Oh, that is a lovely story, Miss Belle,” 
cried Genevieve, “ but why does not some- 
body put all these stories into a book for 
us?” 

“ Plenty of somebodies have done so, my 
dear, but you have never had your attention 
drawn to them before.” 

“ I can almost see the dust pile up on the 
covers of Genevieve’s fairy-books now, while 
84 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


she devours legends of saints and madonnas,” 
said Elizabeth, teasingly. 

“ If she will only learn the beautiful 
lessons taught between the lines, she can 
read nothing better,” her Aunt replied 
gently. 


85 


CHAPTER X 


THE LEGEND OF SAINT URSULA 

M ISS BELLE, here are three 
silver arrows fastened together, 
and where they cross each other 
is a little ruby just like a drop of blood. Are 
they the symbol of a martyr who was pierced 
by three arrows ? ” 

“ Yes, Alma, an arrow is the symbol of 
Saint Ursula, the patron saint of maiden- 
hood, who, with her eleven thousand maids 
of honor, was martyred at Cologne. Her 
legend is very picturesque, and was always 
a favorite subject in the art and literature of 
the Middle Ages. 

“ All manner of doubt has been cast on its 
probability, but the most sceptical people 
admit that it is based on the certain fact that 
a noble German maiden and a number of her 
companions were massacred in the near neigh- 
86 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

borhood of Cologne because of their religion. 
The exact date of this event is still a matter 
of dispute, but the legend can be traced back 
to the year 600 a.d. 

“ The number of maidens killed was first 
definitely mentioned about the year 922 a.d. 
by Herman, Bishop of Cologne. Prosaic 
people insist that this number is founded on 
a mistake, made in translating the abbrevia- 
tion ‘XI. M. V.’ to read ‘eleven thousand 
virgins’ instead of ‘eleven martyr virgins.’ 
Still others assert that Saint Ursula had but 
one attendant. 

“ However that may have been, it is quite 
as easy to believe that these remarkable 
adventures happened to eleven thousand as 
to eleven virgins, and the larger number 
certainly makes the story more dramatic 
and exciting. 

“ In the art galleries of Europe you will find 
Saint Ursula’s legend frequently pictured. 
It seems to have been very popular with the 
artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. 
87 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


“ There are two famous series of pictures 
setting forth the history of Saint Ursula, and 
both were painted towards the end of the 
fifteenth century. 

“ One series is the work of Carpaccio, the 
Italian artist who painted the ‘ story ’ picture 
of Saint George and the dragon that Gene- 
vieve told you about. These pictures are 
now in the Art Academy at Venice, but 
were originally intended for the chapel in 
the school of Saint Ursula. This was a 
school devoted to the free education of young 
orphan girls, and so was very naturally placed 
under the protection of Saint Ursula. 

“ The second series was painted by a Ger- 
man artist, Hans Memling. You will find 
these pictures in the sleepy old town of 
Bruges in Belgium. They are the pride of 
the Hospital of Saint John, and very appro- 
priately decorate a magnificent gold casket, 
said to contain an arm of Saint Ursula. 

“ The Memling pictures, being miniatures, 
are possibly the more interesting of the two 
88 


Elizabetli s Charm-String 


series, and the quaint daintiness of the figures 
and their exquisite coloring make the mem- 
ory of these little paintings ‘ a joy forever.’ 

“ Now for the legend.” 

The Legend of Saint 
Ursula 

Long, long ago there 
reigned in Brittany a 
certain King Theono- 
tus and his Queen, 

Daria. They were 
Christians, and had an 
only child, a beautiful 
little girl called Ursula. Her education was 
far superior to that given even to men in 
those days, and she studied all the “ ologies ” 
and “onomies” known to science. One 
story says that “she had by heart everything 
that had happened in the world since the 
time of Adam.” 

Queen Daria died when her daughter was 
about fifteen years old. In spite of her 
89 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 


youth, Ursula was so well trained and so 
capable that she at once took her mother’s 
place at the Court of Brittany. 

She was not only perfectly beautiful and 
learned, but also so pious and kind-hearted 
that her fame spread all over Europe, and 
many kings and princes wished to marry her. 
She refused them all, because she had really 
made up her mind never to marry, but to 
devote her life to the cause of Christ and 
the spread of Christianity. 

In those days, England was a pagan coun- 
try, ruled by the powerful King Agrippinus. 
He had an only son, whose name was Conon. 
This Prince was also noted for his beauty of 
face and figure, his prowess in war, and his 
enormous strength. 

Hearing of Ursula’s beauty and wonder- 
ful attainments, Conon made up his mind 
that he would marry her. Accordingly, King 
Agrippinus sent ambassadors to Brittany to 
demand the hand of Ursula for his son. 

King Theonotus received the ambassadors 
90 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


very courteously, but was somewhat un- 
certain what answer to send back to Eng- 
land. He was afraid to offend this English 
King by refusing his request, and yet he 
knew that his daughter would refuse to 
marry Prince Conon ; but he had great faith 
in Ursula’s tact and wisdom, and she proved 
worthy of it, for she settled the matter to the 
entire satisfaction of all concerned. 

A grand entertainment was given in honor 
of the ambassadors, and Ursula received 
them in state, arrayed in royal robes, seated 
on a throne at her father’s side. 

She told them that she felt highly honored 
at being asked in marriage by a man of such 
renown as Prince Conon, son of the mighty 
King Agrippinus. She reminded them that 
never before had she given a second thought 
to other men who had sought her hand ; but 
now she would agree to marry Prince Conon 
on three conditions. 

First, he was to give Ursula as maids of 
honor the ten virgins of highest rank in his 
9i 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


kingdom, and each one of these maidens 
must have a thousand maiclen attendants ; 
and there must be still another thousand for 
Ursula’s personal service. 

Second, Conon was not to claim her as 
his bride for three years, and during this time 
she and her eleven thousand virgins were to 
be allowed to visit the holy shrines, where 
reposed the relics of the greatest martyrs. 

Third, Conon and his Court must be 
baptized, for she refused to marry any man 
other than a Christian. 

Now the story hints that Ursula hoped 
that these conditions would prove too hard 
for Conon to accept ; or, if he did agree to 
them, then at least she would have won all 
these thousands of souls to Christ. 

The ambassadors returned to England, 
and gave such glowing accounts of Ursula’s 
beauty and cleverness, that Conon agreed at 
once to all three conditions. 

Then King Agrippinus sent heralds to 
every part of the world over which he 
92 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


had power, and commanded the maidens of 
noblest birth and greatest beauty to come 
to England. When the requisite number 
were gathered together, they were all sent 
to Brittany. 

Here Ursula welcomed them with joyful- 
ness, and she, by her eloquence and good- 
ness and her knowledge of everything that 
concerned Christianity, soon converted them 
all, and they were baptized in a clear stream 
that flowed through the gardens of King 
Theonotus. 

Then, since Conon had agreed to all her 
conditions, she invited him to come to 
Brittany and see her, before she with her 
eleven thousand attendants set off on their 
journey to the holy shrines. 

So Conon came to visit King Theonotus, 
and was received with all the honor and 
splendor due to so great a Prince. He of 
course fell madly in love with Ursula, and 
thought no conditions were too hard that 
could win him such a bride. 

93 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


Ursula requested Conon to remain in 
Brittany during her absence, and help King 
Theonotus with the government of the 
country; and if it should happen that God 
did not permit her to return, then Conon 
was to inherit the kingdom and reign in 
her stead. 

A few days later, Ursula and her eleven 
thousand virgins embarked on board a fleet 
of ships especially prepared for their journey. 
No sailors accompanied them, but these 
noble maidens were miraculously endowed 
with the skill and strength necessary to 
manage the sails, and steer the vessel safely. 

They had intended to sail towards the 
south, but instead, the vessels were all 
guided by this same mysterious power to the 
mouth of the Rhine and as far as Cologne. 
Here Saint Ursula had a vision, in which 
she was told that she and all her maidens 
would suffer martyrdom on their return to 
this city. 

They sailed up the river to Basel; here 
94 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


they left the vessels and crossed the Alps 
on foot. Six angels guided their footsteps 
by day. Heaven sent them food, as manna 
was sent to the Children of Israel ; obstacles 
in their path dis- 
appeared as by 
magic; chasms 
were bridged as 
they approached ; 
the waters of 
mountain tor- 
rents parted, and 
allowed them to 
pass over dry 
shod, and at night 
tents were myste- 
riously prepared to 
shelter them. 

Day after day this army of Christian 
maidens marched along, singing hymns of 
praise and thanksgiving to the God who was 
protecting them. Saint Ursula had related 
her vision to them, and one and all rejoiced 
95 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 


to learn that they had been found worthy to 
die for Christ. 

At length they reached the Tiber River, 
and were soon at Rome, where they were 
to visit the shrines of Saint Peter and Saint 
Paul. 

At that time Cyriacus was Bishop of 
Rome, a very holy and very learned man. 
He had heard nothing concerning the pil- 
grimage of Ursula and her eleven thousand 
virgins, and when he learned that all these 
beautiful, pious maidens had arrived at Rome, 
he was of course very much astonished, and 
the tradition says even a little bit frightened. 
So, attired in his pontifical robes, and accom- 
panied by all the Roman priests and prelates 
in procession, he went forth to meet Ursula 
and her attendants. 

Ursula knelt before Cyriacus and explained 
the reasons for this visit to Rome, related 
the wonderful experiences they had met with 
on their journey, and implored the blessing 
of Cyriacus on herself and her companions. 

96 


Elizabetli s Charm-String 


The Bishop not only gave them his bless- 
ing, but did all in his power for their honor 
and entertainment. In order that they might 
not be interrupted in their devotions, and to 
save them annoyance from curious people, 
tents were pitched for them on a great plain, 
just outside the walls of Rome. 

Now, while Ursula and her maidens were 
receiving the blessing of Cyriacus, who should 
arrive at Rome but Prince Conon. He had 
grown weary of waiting for Ursula’s return, 
and alarmed because no word had been sent 
to Brittany from the pilgrims, and so he set 
out to search for her himself. 

Conon was uncertain how best to begin 
his quest, but knowing that Ursula intended 
to visit Rome, he journeyed to that city by 
a different route, and by a strange coinci- 
dence reached Rome on the very same day 
as Ursula. 

Prince Conon knelt beside Ursula to re- 
ceive the blessing of the good Bishop also, 
and requested that he might receive baptism 
7 9 7 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


at the hands of Cyriacus. Ursula related to 
Conon the vision which had prophesied a 
martyr’s death for herself and her eleven 
thousand virgins; and, inspired by his new 



zeal for Christ, Conon prayed to be allowed 
to share this martyrdom. 

After this glorious company of maidens 
had paid their respects to the shrines of 
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, they were eager 
98 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

to start on their return journey. The Bishop 
of Rome tried to persuade them to stay longer, 
but they were all too desirous of seeking that 
“ martyr’s crown already laid up for them in 
heaven.” 

Now it happened that two famous Roman 
generals, both of them heathens, were visit- 
ing Rome at the very time Ursula and her 
maidens were there. They were amazed 
at the sight of all these lovely young girls, 
and appalled at the thought that so many 
zealous Christians were going together to 
Cologne. They feared the whole German 
nation would be converted by means of so 
much beauty and piety, and made up their 
minds to ward off such a blow to the pagan 
power. 

Accordingly, they sent a warning to the 
King of the Huns, who, with his barbarians, 
was besieging Cologne, and instructed him 
on no account to permit these eleven thou- 
sand virgins to enter that city. 

Ursula and her attendants, accompanied 
99 


fL.ofC. 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


by Prince Conon, Cyriacus, and a number 
of priests, set sail, and after a long and 
dangerous voyage reached Cologne and 
disembarked. 

They found the city surrounded by the 
pagan army, and when these fierce war- 
riors saw a fleet of vessels arrive filled with 
beautiful virgins, instead of soldiers to re- 
inforce the besieged city, they at first 
were too surprised to remember the instruc- 
tions sent by the Roman generals to their 
King. 

Suddenly they rushed upon their victims. 
Prince Conon was the first to fall ; pierced 
to the heart by an arrow, he died at the feet 
of his beloved Ursula. 

How these brave virgins helped and sup- 
ported each other! Ursula was here, there, 
everywhere, with words of love and encour- 
agement, urging her companions not to re- 
sist these soldiers, but to suffer martyrdom 
willingly and gladly for Christ’s sake. 

After the Huns had killed all the men 


ioo 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

they fell upon the maidens, and slaughtered 
them like sheep. By hundreds they were 
massacred, until the plains ran with their 
blood. But these barbarians were afraid of 
Ursula; they could not understand the 
power she wielded over her companions. 
Instead of killing her they carried her to 
their King. 

This pagan ruler had never dreamed of 
any one so beautiful as this dauntless virgin. 
He bade her not to weep for her lost maid- 
ens, as he intended to spare her life and 
make her his Queen. 

Indignantly Ursula repulsed him with 
these words : “ O thou cruel man ! blind 
and senseless as thou art cruel ! Thinkest 
thou I can weep? Or dost thou hold me 
so base, so cowardly, that I would consent 
to survive my dear companions and sisters? 
Thou art deceived, O son of Satan! for I 
defy thee and him whom thou servest! ” 

These scornful words made the King of 
the Huns so furious that he seized his 


IOI 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


bow and shot three arrows into Ursula’s 
heart. 

And she fell before him, dead in body, 
but alive in Christ for evermore. 

“And so ends the story of Saint Ursula 
and her eleven thousand virgins.” 


102 
















CHAPTER XI 


THE EVIL EYE AND THE LUCK CHARMS 



HERE was a moment’s silence, 


broken by an exclamation from 
Margaret. She held in her hand a 


bit of pink coral, sharply pointed and curv- 
ing like a horn. 

“ Oh, Miss Belle ! I have seen a charm like 
this one before; the Italian peddler who 
brings us bananas and oranges every week 
wears one very much like it. He says it 
will keep off the ‘ Evil Eye,’ whatever that 
may be. Will you tell us what it means ? ” 

“Yes, my dear, and you will find several 
other charms of the same nature. I will tell 
about all of them, and then you will under- 
stand how they fit into each other. All 
Italians, the Neapolitans in particular, are 
more or less superstitious, generally more, and 


Elizabeth s Charm- String 


one thing the fear of which seems to pervade 
all classes is the ‘ Jettatura ’ or ‘ Evil Eye.’ ” 

The Evil Eye 

They believe that the eyes of some people 
throw out hurtful rays, and that the direct 
glance of such eyes (some authorities say only 
the first direct glance given in the morning) 
will bring certain misfortune to the man or 
beast receiving it. It is almost impossible 
to trace the first reason why this capacity for 
evil is ascribed to a certain person; it may 
arise from some trifling coincidence, or from 
a word dropped by some spiteful neighbor. 

Its owner is probably as innocent of evil 
intentions as a baby, but whatever the cause, 
if this reputation is once acquired, the unfor- 
tunate possessor seldom gets rid of it, and 
the simplest actions often seem proof that it 
is deserved. By way of illustration I will 
tell you a little anecdote I once heard. 

The reign of Pope Pius IX was very 
stormy and eventful, but in some respects 
104 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


he was one of the most popular popes who 
ever ruled at the Vatican. 

One day, shortly after his election to the 
“ Chair of Saint Peter,” he was driving 
through the city, and, chancing to look 
upward, his eyes fell 
directly on a little 
baby, held by its nurse 
near an open window. 

At that instant the 
child gave a sudden 
start, fell from the 
woman’s arms to the 
pavement below, and 
was instantly killed. 

Now nobody was 
silly enough to sup- 
pose that this beloved 
Pope — a very gracious and kind-hearted 
man — intended to harm this innocent little 
child, yet to the day of his death Pius IX 
was accused by his enemies of possessing 
the “ Evil Eye.” 



Elizabeths Charm-String 


The little coral horn is supposed to ward 
off entirely this baneful influence, just how 
I cannot say, unless the glances cast by 
the “ Evil Eye ” are impaled on its sharp 
point. At any rate, the charm is worn by 
nearly everybody in Italy, high and low, 
educated and ignorant, from the King and 
Queen to their lowliest subject. 

There are many other charms worn to 
bring good or avert bad luck. Look at that 
tiny hunchbacked man holding his hat in 
the act of bowing : to meet and be greeted 
by a hunchback is believed to bring one a 
piece of good fortune or a great happiness. 

Miss Belle turned over the charms, laugh- 
ing as she did so. 

“ In my school days,” she continued/' when 
one little girl became very, very angry with 
another she would say, ‘ I cross my fingers 
on you,’ making at the same time a sign 
something like this.” Miss Belle held up 
a silver hand, with the middle finger crossed 
over the first one. 


io 6 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

“ This gesture is a sign of anger, and is 
supposed to invoke a curse on the head of 
the person against whom it is made. Like a 
flash the hand of the latter will be extended 
in this fashion.” Here Miss Belle picked 
out a second little hand, with the first and 
little fingers extended like horns, while the 
thumb held the other fingers against the 
palm of the hand. 

“ This charm turns aside the malediction, 
causing it to fall harmless. The sign of the 
two horns is also made at the approach of 
any person supposed to possess the ‘ Evil 
Eye,’ but in that case it is made stealthily, 
for it is a deadly insult to even insinu- 
ate that any person owns that very unde- 
sirable attribute. As I have already told 
you, such an accusation is always made 
secretly, and no one ever knows when, 
where, or how the first suspicion of it is 
whispered. 

“ In Naples, where I bought these silver 
hands, there seems to be a superstition of 
107 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


f 1 - some kind attached 

to nearly everything 
one says or does. 

“If while 
talking to a 
N e ap olitan 
W !_ _ peasant you 

"'rH’SaPSSss* happen to 
praise any- 
i*mwi«4k tOt thing belong- 
ing to him, his 
children, his home, his 
crops, he will probably 
spit at your feet ; if you 
happen to be posted as 
to the proper thing to 
do, you will certainly 
expectorate in return. 

“ I used to wonder if this very inelegant 
practice was not first cousin to the almost 
universal custom of ‘ knocking on wood,’ 
when we speak too confidently of present 
good fortune. Some day I mean to study 
108 



Elizabeths Charm-String 

up the origin of some of these queer super- 
stitions, because I enjoy these old stories 
quite as much as any of you children.” 

“ Please put them into a story-book, Miss 
Belle,” said Alma, “and give each of us a 
copy, with the autograph of the talented 
compiler on the fly-leaf.” 


109 



CHAPTER XII 

THE LEGEND OF COLOGNE CATHEDRAL 

Y OU children are getting too 
greedy,” interrupted Mrs. Staats, 
laughingly. “ Belle, you have 
given each of the little girls a chance; now 
will you not allow us grown people to have 
a turn? 

“ I am anxious to know why this pretty 
medal, with the Cathedral of Cologne so 
finely etched on one side, should have a devil 
on the other, horns, hoofs, pitchfork, and all.” 

“ It: d °es seem rather contradictory,” be- 
gan Miss Belle, “ but somehow or other the 
Devil seems to have had a finger in that 
no 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


cathedral’s pie from the time it was first de- 
signed until it was finished in 1880. Many 
were the trials, tribulations, and delays the 
cathedral suffered, and in all of them the 
Devil seems to have had a share. There 
are so many legends about the connection 
of his Satanic Majesty with this church that 
I may not have pieced them together cor- 
rectly, but some day you can read them all 
and judge for yourselves.” 

Cologne Cathedral 

The first church built on this site is said 
to date back to the time of Charlemagne 
in the ninth century, but this edifice (or its 
successor) was destroyed by fire in 1248. 

When the good and holy Engelbert was 
made Bishop of Cologne, he decided that the 
cathedral must be rebuilt, and made up his 
mind that the new edifice should be the 
finest the world had ever seen. 

He sent for a young and ambitious archi- 
tect, and bade him draw the plans for a 


hi 


Elizabetli s Charm-String 


cathedral to surpass in grandeur and beauty 
every other church in the world. 

To this the architect modestly agreed, but 
as he had not seen all the most famous 
churches, he asked permission to visit those 
he knew nothing about except from pictures. 

The Bishop gave him a year’s leave of 
absence, and supplied him with money for 
his journey. 

The architect made good use of his time, 
studied diligently, and returned to Cologne 
prepared, so he thought, to carry out the 
wishes of Bishop Engelbert. 

Full of enthusiasm, he began his task, but 
his fingers obstinately refused to execute the 
ideas that filled his brain; no matter how 
beautiful the drawing might be, it was not 
equal to the church of his imagination. 

Again and again he drew the designs. 
They never satisfied him, and he was almost 
in despair, for the time allowed him by the 
Bishop was nearly expired. 

One afternoon he was walking along the 
1 12 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 

bank of the Rhine, when an inspiration seized 
him, and with his cane he drew in the hard 
sand a wonderfully beautiful design. 

Heaving a great sigh of relief, he turned 
homeward with the intention of putting this 
drawing on paper, and found himself con- 
fronted by a little dried-up old man, who, 
with a jeering laugh, asked why he had drawn 
the Cathedral of Strassburg on the sand. 

To the architect’s great disappointment, 
a little study proved this to be the case. 

He tried again, and when he had finished 
the second tracing, turned to the old man 
and pointed to this new design. 

“ What a traveller you must have been,” 
was the sarcastic response. “You have drawn 
an excellent picture of Canterbury Cathedral.” 

The exasperated architect made a third 
attempt, and again his memory played him 
false, for the little old man with a sneer sug- 
gested that the drawing must have been the 
result of a visit to the Cathedral of Amiens. 

“Very well,” retorted the architect, “since 
8 1 13 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


you know so much about church architect- 
ure, suppose you draw an original design 
yourself.” 

The old man laughed in a very irritating 
manner, and then, seizing the cane, began to 
draw with incredible rapidity. 

Each line shone as if traced with phospho- 
rus, disappearing almost as quickly as it was 
made, but the architect could see that the 
design was the very one which had so per- 
sistently eluded him, except that it was even 
more beautiful than his wildest dreams. 

Overcome with astonishment, he demanded 
the strange architect’s name. 

“ I am the Devil,” was the startling reply, 
“ and I will give you my design in exchange 
for your soul.” 

The architect indignantly refused this offer 
and made the sign of the cross. Immedi- 
ately the Devil disappeared. 

The architect went home, and tried in vain 
to reproduce the Devil’s drawings. 

Day after day passed, and Bishop Engel- 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

bert began to grow a little impatient at this 
long delay. 

Every time the architect ventured to walk 
on the river bank, the Devil appeared and 
renewed his offer, and at last, overcome by 
his intense desire to possess this grand de- 
sign, the ambitious architect yielded to the 
temptation. 

The terms of the bargain were arranged, 
and a time appointed for the delivery of the 
practical drawings. 

Now right here come in two stories re- 
garding the means by which the architect 
gained possession of the designs. I will tell 
you both of them. 

One relates how the architect’s conscience 
troubled him so much that he told the whole 
story while talking in his sleep, and was 
overheard by his mother. 

The next morning she repeated to her son 
what she had heard, and told him he must 
go to a priest, confess this awful sin, and 
receive absolution and advice. 

ns 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


The architect obeyed his mother, and told 
his confessor everything. 

Now, for the glory of the church, the priest 
of course wished to get possession of the 
Devil’s plans, but he was 
not willing to give a 
Christian soul in ex- 
change. 

He put his wits to work, 

/; and devised a plan which 
promised to be successful. 

The priest gave the 
architect a crucifix con- 
taining a small piece of 
the true cross, and in- . 
structed him, on some pretext or other, to 
get possession of the plans. He was then 
to touch the Devil with the crucifix, and 
the power of the cross would overcome the 
power of evil. 

Armed with the crucifix and this ad- 
vice, the architect went to the place of 
meeting. 

116 




Elizabeth ' s Charm-String 

The Devil insisted that the written con- 
tract should be signed with the architect’s 
blood, but there was no knife convenient, 
wherewith to obtain this gruesome kind of 
ink. 

The Devil turned around to look for a 
sharp stone, and carelessly laid his plans on 
the ground ; they were at once seized by the 
architect, who retreated backward, holding 
the cross between himself and the Devil. 

The Devil tried very hard to recover his 
papers, but every time he contrived to reach 
the architect and grasp them, the touch of the 
crucifix compelled him to let go his hold. 

Beside himself with rage at being thus 
outwitted, the Devil swore a fearful oath to 
the effect that the cathedral should never be 
finished without his consent, and that the 
architect should never receive any credit for 
its construction. 

When the designs were submitted to 
Bishop Engelbert for his approval, he was 
greatly delighted with them. 

ii 7 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


Work on the new cathedral was begun, 
according to most authorities, in 1270 a.d., 
and progressed rapidly for a number of 
years. 

The Bishop insisted that the name of the 
architect should be cut in huge letters on 
one of the immense stones intended for the 
tower, in order that future generations might 
do honor to the man in whose brain the 
designs for this stupendous work had been 
conceived. 

One fatal day, however, the architect was 
standing on the wall of the cathedral, watch- 
ing this very block being lowered into its 
place. 

Suddenly he heard a muffled laugh, and, 
turning around, saw the Devil behind him 
grinning horribly. In his consternation he 
stepped on the big stone, thereby disturbing 
its balance. Down went the huge mass, 
carrying the architect with it, but as he fell 
he cried to God to have mercy on his soul, 
and when the Devil heard this prayer he 
118 


ElizabetJis Charm-String 

disappeared with a yell of disappointed 
rage. 

Now, it is a curious fact that while you 
can see at Cologne the original drawings 
for its cathedral, the name of the architect 
is utterly unknown, just as the Devil had 
sworn should be the case. 

The second story is less dramatic. Ac- 
cording to this version, the bargain between 
the architect and the Devil was arranged in 
a most friendly manner: the former received 
the designs ; when he died the Devil was to 
claim his soul. 

Great praise and many honors were show- 
ered on the fortunate architect, and Bishop 
Engelbert ordered that his name should 
be engraved on a gold plate, and this was to 
be fastened up in a conspicuous place. 

The architect fell sick, and was nigh unto 
death. His conscience tormented him night 
and day, until he could stand it no longer, 
and, sending for Bishop Engelbert, he con- 
fessed his sin. 


ElizabetEs Charm-String 

The Bishop gave him absolution, but as 
a punishment for his crime the gold plate 
was taken down, and the Bishop ordered 
that the architect’s name should never again 
be mentioned, so that in time it was com- 
pletely forgotten. 

The Devil was furious, and swore that 
since he had lost the architect’s soul, he 
would claim the soul of the first person to 
cross the threshold of the church, whenever 
the first Mass was sung. 

The building proceeded in a spasmodic 
sort of fashion, until the cathedral was far 
enough advanced to be used for worship ; 
but the people had not forgotten the Devil’s 
oath, and were afraid to enter the church. 

At last a certain wicked woman, who had 
been condemned to death, agreed to be the 
first to enter, on condition that her life be 
spared should she succeed in eluding the 
Devil. 

This was agreed to, and on the appointed 
day she approached the portal on her hands 
120 


RlizabetJi s Charm-String 


and knees, hold- 
ing something in 
front of her hid- 
den by a cloth. 

The Devil was 
waiting, and just 
as he was about 
to seize her, she 
let loose into his 
hand a young 
pig, and herself 
jumped over the 
threshold where 
the Devil could 
not follow. 

Again the 
Devil swore an 
oath, vowing 
that the cathe- 
dral should never 
be finished until he gave his consent. 

Whichever story you prefer, the actual 
history of the cathedral could easily give one 



Elizabeths Charm-String 

the impression that the Devil tried hard to 
keep his word. 

All work on the cathedral ceased about 
the year 1509, and for over three hundred 
years the work was at a complete standstill, 
and in time, all the space surrounding the 
church became occupied by houses and 
shops. 

Whether the Devil finally ceased troub- 
ling and gave his consent the stories do not 
say, but in 1823 the work was resumed, and 
a lottery was established for the purpose of 
raising the funds necessary for the comple- 
tion of the cathedral. 

It was at last finished, and was dedicated 
in 1880, some six hundred years after its 
foundations were laid ; and I have sometimes 
wondered if the Devil of these legends was 
on hand during the festivities attending the 
dedication, congratulating himself on his 
share of the work. 

But no matter who the architect may have 
been, the result is very grand, and the Cathe- 
122 








Elizabeth s Charm-String 


dral of Cologne is considered by many au- 
thorities to be the noblest edifice of its kind 
in the world. 

“ And have they any precious relics or 
bodies of saints in that cathedral, Miss 
Belle ? ” asked Margaret. 

“ Oh, yes, indeed ! They have quite a 
number of them, but their chief treasure is 
older than all the saints in the calendar. 

“ In the treasury of the cathedral you can 
see a magnificent gold shrine richly jewelled, 
and in it repose the ‘ Skulls of the Magi,’ 
the ‘ Three Kings from the East ’ who went 
to Bethlehem to see and worship Jesus, the 
‘ King of the World.’ ” 


123 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE LEGEND OF THE TRUE CROSS 

B ELLE, what is a tiny iron nail 
doing in company with all these 
dainty gold and silver things ? ” 
asked Mrs. Curtis. 

“ That little nail,” replied Belle, “ was 
modelled from one which, according to tra- 
dition, was used at the crucifixion of Christ.” 

Legend of the True Cross 

In the various churches of Rome are 
treasured many precious relics associated 
with our Saviour. Perhaps the most inter- 
esting of these relics are a portion of the 
true cross, one of the nails with which Christ 
was fastened to the cross, and the “ Three- 
fold Title of Accusation.” The latter name 
is given to the white board on which, by 
124 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Pilate’s orders, the Jews painted in red 
letters the mock title, “Jesus of Nazareth, 
King of the Jews,” in Greek, Latin, and 
Hebrew. 

Each step in the legendary history of the 
true cross is beset with so many traditions 
that it would be impossible to tell you a 
quarter of them; but I mean to follow one 
direct line of events, and so give you, so far 
as I can, a fairly continuous story. We 
must go back almost to the beginning of 
time. You all know the story of Adam and 
Eve; how they ate of the forbidden fruit, 
and for their disobedience to God’s com- 
mands were driven out of the Garden of 
Eden. 

In order to protect the Tree of Life, 
which grew in the midst of the garden, God 
placed at the gate a cherubim with a flaming 
sword that turned in every direction. 

The Bible tells us that Adam lived to be 
nine hundred and thirty years old, but when 
the time came for him to die he wanted to 
125 


ElizabetUs Charm-String 


live still longer, and sought for some means 
to prolong his life. 

Remembering how happy he had been in 
the Garden of Eden, Adam bade his son Seth 
return there, and beg from the guardian 
angel some fruit from the Tree of Life, or 
a few drops of the Oil of Mercy which 
flowed from it. 

Seth was to find the way by tracing the 
footprints made by Adam and Eve when 
they fled from the garden ; these he would 
find deeply imbedded in the soil. 

By this means Seth succeeded in reaching 
the Garden of Eden, and humbly begged the 
cherubim to grant Adam’s request. 

The angel sternly refused, and told Seth 
that five thousand and five hundred years 
must pass away before the Oil of Mercy 
would drop on Adam’s head. 

Seth was so disappointed that the cher- 
ubim felt sorry for him, and, holding back 
the whirling sword, told Seth to look within 
the garden. 


126 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


Seth’s longing eyes rested on the Tree 
of Life, which stood in the very centre of 
the garden ; on its topmost branch stood a 
beautiful young woman, holding in her arms 
a smiling baby. 

The child held out his little hands invit- 
ingly to Seth, and the latter stepped forward 
as if to enter the garden, but down fell the 
flaming sword to bar the way. 

The cherubim told Seth that some day 
the little child he had seen would come to 
save the world from the consequences of 
Adam’s sin. 

The angel then gave Seth three seeds 
from the Tree of Life, saying, “ When the 
time comes for your father to die, put these 
seeds under his tongue, and bury them with 
him." 

Seth returned to his father, and, when 
Adam died a short time later, carried out 
the cherubim’s instructions. 

From these three seeds there sprang up 
three slender stems, — a cypress, a cedar, and 
127 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


a palm. As they grew taller their branches 
intertwined, and in time formed but one 
trunk, growing into a tall, stately tree with 
wide-spreading branches. 

The legends associate this tree with many 
events in the history of the Jews. 

The rods of Moses and Aaron were made 
from it ; Abraham rested under its branches ; 
it was the bark from this tree that Moses, 
under God’s directions, cast into the bitter 
waters of Marah, making them sweet and fit 
to drink. 

When for their sins God punished* the 
Israelites by sending a plague of serpents 
upon them, it was on a pole cut from this 
tree that Moses raised the brazen serpent 
at which the Israelites looked and were 
cured. 

One day King David passed under this 
tree, and admired it so much that he had it 
transplanted to the gardens of his palace at 
Jerusalem. 

Here the tree flourished until King David 
128 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

died, and was succeeded by his son, the wise 
King Solomon. 

When Solomon began to build the famous 
temple which we know as Solomon’s Tem- 
ple, he told his architect — whose name was 
Hiram — to cut down the tree and use it for 
the new building. 

It was such a grand piece of wood that 
Hiram thought it would prove of great ser- 
vice to him, but although he used his utmost 
skill, the tree was always either too long or 
too short for his purpose, and he cast it 
aside as useless. 

Here it lay unnoticed for some time, and 
probably afforded a convenient resting-place 
for the workmen and passers-by. 

Then we hear that a Jewish Prophetess, 
called Sybilla, sat down to rest on this tree. 
All at once her clothes caught fire; in her 
terror she began to prophesy, and declared 
that the tree possessed some evil power 
which would certainly prove a curse to the 
Jewish nation. 

9 


129 


Elizabeth’s Charm-String 


After that, the tree was used as a bridge 
across a marsh, near the brook Cedron. 

When the Queen of Sheba came to visit 
Solomon, in order to judge for herself con- 
cerning his wisdom and power, she was 
obliged to cross this bridge. 

As she placed her foot upon it, she had 
a vision of a man hanging on a cross made 
from this tree. Rather than pass over such 
an ill-omened bridge, she waded through the 
marsh barefooted. 

The Queen of Sheba noticed that it was 
an unusually fine piece of wood, and not 
knowing that it had already been rejected by 
Hiram, she ordered her servants to carry it 
to the King’s palace. She there presented 
it to Solomon, related her vision, and de- 
clared that some day a man would be cruci- 
fied on that tree, whose death would mean 
the destruction of the Jews. Because of 
this prophecy, King Solomon had the tree 
buried deep in the ground. 

Another legend states that Solomon had 
130 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


the log completely covered with plates of 
gold, and placed it over a door of the Tem- 
ple, where — so he thought — it could make 
no more trouble for the Jews. There it re- 
mained safe and harmless until Abijah, the 
grandson of Solomon, came to the throne. 

Abijah had it taken down secretly ; he 
stripped off its golden coverings, and to hide 
the evidence of this crime, the tree was 
buried. 

Some time later the priests needed a con- 
venient place for cleansing the animals 
which were to be sacrificed in the Temple. 

For this purpose the Jews dug a very wide 
and deep well directly over the hiding-place 
of the tree, but although the tree was dis- 
covered, it was left undisturbed. 

This well, or “ Piscina,” as it was called by 
the Jews, was the one we now know as the 
Pool of Bethesda, and, according to the 
legends, its waters received from the tree 
the power to cure all manner of disease. 

In the time of Christ there were five 

131 


ElizabetEs Charm-String 


porches around the Pool of Bethesda ; every 
day they were occupied by sick and deformed 
people. 

At a certain hour each day an angel came 
down from heaven and stirred up the waters, 
and the first person who bathed in the pool 
after the angelic visitation was entirely cured 
of his illness. 

The tree remained hidden until a few days 
before the crucifixion ; then it rose to the sur- 
face of the Pool of Bethesda, was drawn out, 
and thrown carelessly on the bank. 

Here it was found by the men who had 
been ordered to prepare for the execution 
of Christ. 

An old book, relating the adventures of a 
knight in the Holy Land, gives a very quaint 
description of how the cross was constructed 
from the three kinds of wood united in the 
one tree. 

The Jews thought that the body of Christ 
would be left hanging on the cross as long 
as the wood endured. 


132 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Accordingly, the portion of the cross in- 
tended to go underground was made from 
the cedar, because that wood never rots in 
earth or water. 

For the upright bar the cypress was 
used, because it is a sweet-smelling wood, 
and could overcome any unpleasant odor 
that might arise from the decay of the 
body. 

The cross-bar to which the hands were 
nailed was made of the palm wood, because 
the palm was used as an emblem of victory, 
and the Jews believed themselves victorious 
over Christ. 

For the mock title “Jesus of Nazareth, 
King of the Jews,” olive wood was chosen, 
because an olive branch typifies peace, and 
the Jews thought their nation would have 
peace when Christ was dead. 

The legends state that the cross was raised 
on the very spot of ground where the three 
seeds had been planted, and that the execu- 
tioners, in digging the hole for it, found 
133 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


Adam’s skull and placed it at the foot of 
the cross. 

Some drops of Christ’s blood fell on the 
skull, thus fulfilling the cherubim’s prophecy 
that after five thousand and five hundred 
years, the Oil of Mercy would fall on Adam’s 
head. 

Christ, as you know, was crucified between 
two thieves. The three crosses were buried 
on Golgotha, and nothing was heard of them 
for more than three hundred years. Nearly 
a hundred years after the crucifixion of 
Christ, the Emperor Hadrian built a temple 
to Venus over the place where the crosses 
had been buried. 

About the year 312 a.d. the Emperor 
Constantine was on his way to fight with 
the Emperor Maxentius. Suddenly, he and 
his whole army saw a cross in the sky, and 
above it the words, “In hoc signo vinces,” 
— meaning, “By this sign conquer.” 

At that time Constantine was not a Chris- 
tian, consequently a cross meant nothing to 
134 













Elizabeth s Charm-String 

him, but he was so impressed by his vision 
that he had a banner made exactly like it. 

Constantine’s cross was shaped from two 
Greek letters, X and P, which have the same 
meaning as our Ch and R, the initial letters 
of the word “ Christus.” 

This cross was set upon a long spear 
crossed by another piece of wood, and from 
this hung a square banner made of purple 
silk, on which was a likeness of the Em- 
peror. He called this banner “ Labarum,” 
and, carrying it at the head of his army, won 
a glorious victory over Maxentius. 

Soon after this battle, Constantine fell ill 
of leprosy. His pagan priests and physi- 
cians told him that he could not hope to be 
cured unless he bathed in the blood of 
children, and three thousand little ones were 
selected for this purpose. 

Constantine, however, was neither cruel 
nor hard-hearted, and he was moved to 
pity when he saw the tears of the sorrowing 
mothers, and heard their prayers for mercy. 

135 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

He told his physicians that he would far 
rather die himself than be saved by the 
blood of all these innocent children. 

That same night 
Constantine had a very 
strange dream. He 
thought that two noble- 
looking old men came 
to his bedside and told 
him they had been sent 
by their Master to bring 
good counsel. They 
told the Emperor to 
find Sylvester, the new 
Bishop of Rome, who 
was hiding from per- 
secution in a cave on 
Mount Calvo. Syl- 
vester would then show him a place in which 
he could bathe three times and be cured of 
his leprosy. 

When Constantine awoke, he sent his 
soldiers to find this Sylvester. After con- 
136 



Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


siderable search he was found and brought 
before the Emperor. 

Sylvester naturally supposed that he was 
going to be tortured because he was a 
Christian, but he showed no fear. 

Constantine related his dream, and at 
once Sylvester declared that the visitors 
must have been Saint Peter and Saint Paul, 
and when he showed the effigies of these 
two saints, the Emperor recognized them at 
once as the men of his dream. 

Sylvester explained who was meant by 
the “ Master,” converted Constantine to 
Christianity, and baptized him; and when 
Constantine came out of the baptismal font 
he found himself perfectly well ; all the signs 
of leprosy had disappeared. 

The Empress Helena, mother of Constan- 
tine, had been converted to Judaism. She 
was greatly displeased with her son for be- 
coming a Christian, and used all her influence 
to make him follow her example. 

At length it was agreed that Helena 
i37 


ElizabetKs Charm-String 


should bring the most learned among the 
Jewish Rabbis to Rome, there to meet Syl- 
vester, discuss the merits of the two relig- 
ions, and prove to Helena which faith was 
the true one. 

It is said that one hundred and forty-two 
Rabbis presented their arguments in favor 
of Judaism, and one after the other were 
silenced by Sylvester’s arguments from the 
Holy Scriptures. 

Then one of the Rabbis, who was also a 
magician, defied Sylvester to a trial of the 
power of their respective gods. 

A bull so fierce that it took one hundred 
men to restrain him was brought before the 
assembly; into its ear the magician uttered 
a name for the Jewish god, so awful and so 
powerful, that at the mere whisper of it the 
bull fell dead at the Rabbi’s feet. 

The Christian cause seemed lost; even 
Constantine was filled with doubt and con- 
sternation. 

But Sylvester calmly arose, and said that 
138 


Elizabetli s Charm-String 

a name which would cause death must be 
an evil one; the Christian’s God did not kill, 
but brought life to the dead. 

He then asked the Rabbi to revive the 
bull, but this the Jew could not do. 

Sylvester made the sign of the cross, and 
in the name of Jesus Christ commanded 
the bull to rise and go in peace. The 
bull arose, quiet, perfectly gentle, and ready 
to submit to a yoke. 

This proof of Christ’s power convinced 
Helena, and soon afterward she too was 
baptized. 

Helena was quite an old woman, but she 
was so full of zeal for her new God that she 
went to Jerusalem, and collected many pre- 
cious mementos of Christ’s earthly career; 
but her dearest wish was to find the true 
cross. 

Its hiding-place was known to a small 
number of Jews, but so great was the fear 
of the ancient prophecy which said that the 
cross would destroy the Jewish nation, that 
i39 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


these men had sworn not to reveal the 
secret. 

The Empress, not being able to find the 
cross by peaceful means, began to torture 
the Jews, and at last a man named Judas 
agreed to show her the hiding-place of the 
cross, and led her to Golgotha. 

After a prolonged search the three crosses 
were found, but of course Helena did not 
know which one of them was the cross of 
Christ. 

Just then a funeral train passed along the 
road. 

Helena asked permission to test the three 
crosses, and laid each one in turn against 
the dead body. At the touch of the third 
cross the woman sat up alive and well, and 
then Helena knew that she had at last 
found the cross on which the Saviour was 
crucified. 

Then falling . on her knees, she prayed 
fervently for the recovery of the nails, and 
a little while later all three of them appeared 
140 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

on the surface of the ground, and near them 
lay the “ Threefold Title of Accusation.” 

Some legends state that the Empress placed 
one of the nails in Constantine’s helmet, a 
second in his horse’s bit, and threw the 
third into the Adriatic Sea, where it stilled 
a very dangerous whirlpool. 

Nowadays one of these nails is claimed 
by the Church of the Holy Cross at Rome ; 
another — presumably the one that was 
placed in the horse’s bit — is supposed to 
rest in the Cathedral of Milan; and the 
third one forms part of the “Iron Crown 
of Lombardy.” 

This crown is not made of iron, asjts 
name suggests, but is a broad fillet of gold, 
set with precious stones, and running around 
inside of it is a narrow band of iron, said to 
have been hammered out from a nail of the 
true cross. 

Some thirty-four kings and emperors have 
been crowned with it, among them Charle- 
magne and Napoleon Bonaparte. 

141 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


Up to the year 1859, the Iron Crown of 
Lombardy was kept in the Chapel of the 
Holy Nail, in Saint John’s Cathedral at 
Monza, Italy ; now I think it can be seen 
in the Belvedere Museum at Vienna, the 
one now at Monza being only a copy. 

Some legends say that Christ was fastened 
to the cross with four nails, and that four 
were found by the Empress Helena. 

This version was probably accepted by 
many people, and if I am not mistaken, the 
possession of this fourth nail is claimed by 
the city of Treves in Rhenish Prussia. 

The true cross was divided into sev- 
eral pieces, the largest one being left in 
Jerusalem. 

It is supposed that the Empress Helena 
gave a second piece to her son Constantine, 
who enclosed it in the head of a statue of 
himself, and for a long time this statue was 
regarded as the “ Palladium ” — or guardian 
— of the city. 

Helena carried the third portion to Rome, 
142 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


where the Church of the Holy Cross was 
built expressly for it. The “ Title of Accu- 
sation,” enclosed in a leaden case, was placed 
in the same church, also the true nail, and 
there they have remained to this day. 

As a matter of fact, there is, of course, no 
positive proof that the crosses, nails, and title 
found on Golgotha were actually the ones 
used at the crucifixion of our Lord. 

However that may be, there is little rea- 
son to doubt that the relics now shown at 
Rome are indeed the ones sent there nearly 
sixteen hundred years ago by the Empress 
Helena. 

“ What became of the large piece, Aunt 
Belle, the one that was left at Jerusalem? ” 
asked Elizabeth. 

It was enclosed in a shrine and deposited 
in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, under 
the special charge of a Bishop named Ma- 
carius. 


143 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


This piece of the cross met with a great 
many strange adventures, but I can tell you 
only a few of them. 

Some six hundred years after Christ, the 
Persian King Chosroes II captured Jerusa- 
lem and carried the cross to his own country. 

It remained in his possession until the 
year 629 a.d., when it was recaptured by the 
Roman Emperor Heraclius and brought back 
in triumph to Jerusalem. 

Heraclius was riding proudly at the head 
of his army, and just as he was about to enter 
the city, the gates suddenly closed. 

An angel appeared to the Emperor and 
reminded him that Christ, the King of 
heaven, had entered these very gates bare- 
footed and riding on an ass. 

Heraclius felt the justice of this rebuke. 
He got down from his horse, took off his 
crown, cast aside his splendid armor, and 
lifted the cross to his own shoulders. 

The gates at once opened of their own ac- 
cord, and, walking barefooted, the Emperor 
144 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

Heraclius entered Jerusalem, and carried the 
cross back to its place in the Church of the 
Holy Sepulchre. 

According to some authorities, when the 
Mohammedans conquered Palestine in the 
year 637 a.d. the cross was taken to Con- 
stantinople for safe keeping, and placed in 
the Church of Saint Sophia. Others say 
that the Mohammedans did not molest the 
Christians or the cross, and that it remained 
in Jerusalem for nearly four hundred years 
longer. 

A tiny chip from the cross was the reward 
paid to the pilgrims who made the long, hard 
journey to Jerusalem just to gaze on this 
holy relic ; but although thousands of these 
pieces were cut off, the legends say that the 
cross never grew smaller, but was always 
miraculously renewed. 

It was this portion of the cross that was 
carried by the Crusaders at the head of their 
armies, to strengthen their arms and increase 
their zeal in the Christian cause. 

i45 


10 


ElizabetJis Charm-String 


When Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, de- 
feated the Crusaders at the battle of Hattin, 


he cut off a 
relic as a token 
The remaining 
to have fallen 
of a King of 
carried it to 
Some time 
gained by Jean 


piece of the 
of his triumph, 
fragment seems 
into the hands 
Hungary, who 
Poland. 

later it was re- 
de Brienne, 



King of Jerusalem, and 
his son-in-law Baldwin, 
the Emperor of Constan- 
tinople. Apparently 
these two sovereigns 
146 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


were sorely in need of ready money, for they 
sold the relic to Louis IX, King of France, 
for a sum equal to six hundred thousand 
dollars of our money. 

About the middle of the thirteenth cen- 
tury this King — known as Saint Louis — 
carried the fragment of the cross, together 
with a piece of the crown of thorns and 
other blessed relics, to Paris, and built the 
beautiful little Gothic church called the 
“ Saint Chapelle ” for their reception. 

Here the cross rested, so the story goes, 
until some time in the seventeenth century, 
when it mysteriously disappeared, and has 
never been heard of since. 


i47 


CHAPTER XIV 


THE LEGEND OF THE WOODPECKER —THE 
OBELISK OF THE VATICAN 

M arie gardiner had the 

charm-string in her hand, and 
was trying to decide which little 
trinket should be the next to entertain them. 
Just then a bird’s call was heard outside the 
window, a shrill “ Plu-eee, plu-eee,” and at 
the sound Marie commenced to laugh. 

“ Plu-eee, plu-eee,” she echoed. “ Oh, 
Miss Belle, that bird is a woodpecker, crying 
for rain, and I was just going to ask why 
you bought a woodpecker for Elizabeth’s 
charm-string.” 

“The little charm came from Norway,” 
replied Miss Belle, “ and when I heard its 
legend I was reminded of a Grimm fairy- 
story.” 


148 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


Legend of the Woodpecker 

One day our Saviour and Saint Peter 
were walking through a part of the country 
they were not familiar with, and lost their 
way. Tired and hungry, they entered the 
first house they came to, and begged for 
something to eat and drink. The owner of 
the house told them her name was Gertrude. 
She was a small woman, very neat in appear- 
ance, and rapid in her movements. Her 
dress was dark brown in color, and on her 
head was a bright red cap. Gertrude had 
been baking bread on a kind of griddle 
placed over a wood fire, and several large 
loaves lay on the table. 

Saint Peter asked her to give some of this 
bread to his Master, but she refused, saying, 
“ My loaves are too large to give away ; I 
cannot spare one.” 

Then Christ himself asked her, in gentle, 
persuasive tones, “ Will you not bake us a 
smaller loaf? We have walked all day 
149 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


without any food, and are tired and very 
hungry.” 

Gertrude hesitated a moment, and then, 
breaking off a small piece of dough, began 
to bake it. The piece grew larger and larger, 
until it entirely filled the griddle. 

When the woman saw this strange thing 
and noted the size of the loaf, she looked 
toward the strangers. As they did not appear 
to be watching her, she slyly placed the loaf 
on the table. 

She broke off a second and smaller bit of 
dough, and tossed it on the griddle. When 
this loaf was baked it was larger than the 
first one, and the covetous woman could not 
force herself to part with it. 

Gertrude then took a mere pinch of the 
dough to bake for Christ, and this grew into 
the largest loaf of all. 

Christ then asked her once more, “ Will 
you not give us some water to drink and a 
loaf of bread for our supper ? ” 

“No, I will not,” Gertrude answered. “ All 
150 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


the loaves I have baked are too large and 
too good to give away to beggars. As for 
water, I have no more than I want for my- 
self. Go beg elsewhere.” 

At this fresh proof of the woman’s mean- 
ness Christ became indig- 
nant, and said sternly: 

“Gertrude, you WW 
are a cruel, miserly 
woman, and to pun- 
ish you for refusing 
bread to the poor I 
will turn you into a 
bird. Y ou shall have 
no food except what 
you can find between the 
bark of a tree and 
trunk ; you shall have no 
water to drink except the raindrops you can 
catch as they fall.” 

At these words the woman turned into 
a little woodpecker. The bird darted up 
the chimney, and its brown feathers were 

151 



Elizabeths Charm-String 


streaked with the soot, but the little red tuft 
on its head was not soiled. 

In Norway the little woodpecker is often 
called the “ Gertrude,” or, as the Norwegians 
pronounce the name, the “ Ortrud bird.” So 
now you know the reason why you never hear 
the woodpecker’s “ Plu-eee, plu-eee ” except 
when it rains or a storm is approaching ; and 
why, when the rain is falling, the woodpecker 
never stays snug and warm in its nest, but 
flies upward, with its long beak wide open. 

“Only one more story this morning,” 
spoke up Mrs. Curtis, “and I ask for that. 
Belle, here is a little charm which reminds 
me of the Egyptian obelisk called ‘ Cleo- 
patra’s Needle,’ in the New York Central 
Park, except that this tiny shaft has a cross 
on the top of it.” 

The Obelisk of the Vatican 

The one you hold is the Obelisk of the 
Vatican ; it stands in the centre of the Piazza 
152 





Elizabeth s Charm-String 


of Saint Peter, and, like Cleopatra’s Needle, 
it came from Heliopolis. 

This one was brought to Rome by the 
Emperor Caligula, who began to reign in 
the thirty-seventh year after Christ It was 
used to adorn the Circus of Nero, and was 
then, and is still considered one of the noblest 
monuments in Rome. 

On the shaft of this obelisk is an inscrip- 
tion to the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius. 
On the base is an inscription dedicating it 
to the cross. 

The ground, now covered by the Church of 
Saint Peter and the superbly beautiful square 
that leads up to it, was once part of Nero’s 
Circus, and it may truly be called “holy 
ground,” since it was consecrated by the 
blood of so many martyrs, and reverenced as 
the place where Saint Peter was buried. 

This obelisk was moved to its present site 
in the year 1586 a.d., in the reign of Pope 
Sixtus V, and our story will tell you how 
this removal was effected. 

i53 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

The man who accepted the responsibility 
of this stupendous task was named Domenico 
Fontana, and to accomplish it he needed the 
assistance of one hundred and fifty men, eight 
hundred horses, and forty-six huge cranes. 

When Fontana had finished all his prep- 
arations, the time for the removal of the 
obelisk was announced. The day was to 
be a general holiday and festival, and at the 
appointed hour the Church and Piazza of 
Saint Peter was thronged with interested 
spectators. 

The obelisk had always been regarded as 
a pagan object; now it was to be dedicated 
to the cause of Christ, and a special dedica- 
tory service was arranged in order to exorcise 
the pagan element. This service was fol- 
lowed by a solemn High Mass in Saint 
Peter’s Church, and the Pope invoked the 
blessing of heaven upon the efforts of Fon- 
tana and his workmen. 

Then the trumpets of the Papal Guard 
were sounded, and a proclamation was issued, 
i54 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

insisting that absolute silence must be main- 
tained while the work was in progress. 


Death would 
by any one who 
tion of the 
Everything 
favorably, and 
slowly rising 
but before very 
evident that 
something was 



be the penalty paid 
distracted the atten- 
workmen. 

seemed to be going 
the huge shaft was 
toward its new base ; 
long it became 






wrong, for the obelisk ceased to move and 
the ropes slackened perceptibly. 

Had there been a mistake in Fontana’s 
calculations? Would the obelisk fall ? 

The suspense was so terrible, the silence 
155 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


so intense, it seemed as though that vast 
multitude of people had ceased even to 
breathe. 

Suddenly across the piazza a voice rang 
out, clear and strong : 

“ Wet the ropes! Wet the ropes ! ” 

The frightened workmen acted on this 
unexpected advice so quickly and thoroughly 
that the ropes soon stiffened and tightened ; 
the danger was averted, the obelisk moved 
slowly but steadily, and at last was firmly 
settled on its base. 

The man whose opportune advice had 
proved so serviceable was a poor sailor who 
had just returned from a long voyage. 

His name was Brescia, and his home was 
at Bordighiera, a beautiful town in Italy on 
the Mediterranean Sea. 

Although his impulsively spoken words 
had saved the obelisk, Brescia was afraid of 
losing his own life because he had disobeyed 
the Pope’s command. 

He tried to escape, but was captured by 
156 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


the Papal Guards and taken into the pres- 
ence of the Holy Father. 

Instead of an angry Pope, Brescia found a 
very grateful one, who bade the sailor name 
his own reward for the great service he had 
rendered to Rome by his sensible advice. 

Brescia would not accept either gold or 
jewels, but requested that his native city 
should forever after possess the privilege of 
supplying the Vatican and Saint Peter’s 
Church with the palm branches to be used 
on Palm Sunday. I need not say that this 
modest request was quickly granted. 

Bordighiera has always been noted for the 
beauty of its palms, and every year, to this 
day, a vessel loaded with the finest branches 
is sent to Rome about a week before Palm 
Sunday. 

These are all prepared and plaited by 
the nuns in the convent of Saint Antony, 
and, after being blessed by the Pope, are dis- 
tributed to the Faithful at the Palm Sunday 
ceremonies in Saint Peter’s Church. 

157 


CHAPTER XV 


THE LEGEND OF SAINT GENEVIEVE 

O H, dear ! ” sighed Alma, as the 
children sat chatting in the hall 
on the following morning, “this 
is our last day, and it seems to me there 
are charms enough to last a month. Have 
they all got stories, Miss Belle ? ” 

“Each one has some direct connection, 
either historic or romantic, with the place 
where it was bought, but if I should tell you 
too many stories at one time, your poor little 
heads would not be able to hold them all. 
You would get them so mixed up that you 
would have the Bambino saving the people 
of Venice, while the 1 Winged Lion of Saint 
Mark ’ flapped and roared in Rome. Some 
other time perhaps I will tell you many more 
stories. 


158 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


“Now, has any one chosen a charm for 
the first story this morning ? ” 

“Miss Belle,” answered Genevieve, “here 
is a little silver charm with my name and 
a French motto on it; it looks just like 
the medals worn by the girls at school who 
are Roman Catholics.” 

“That is just what it is, my dear, and 
probably every little girl in Paris wears or 
owns a similar one. 

“ On one side is stamped the figure of a 
peasant, a shepherd girl, holding a distaff in 
her hand, and the words surrounding her 
mean ‘ Saint Genevieve, Guardian of Paris, 
pray for us.’ 

“ On the other side is a picture of the Vir- 
gin Mary and the little prayer, ‘ O Marie, 
conceived without sin, pray for us.’ 

“ As you may readily guess, Saint Gene- 
vieve is the patron or guardian saint of Paris 
and the Parisians. 

“ One day while I was in Paris I went to 
the old Church of Saint Etienne du Mont, 
i59 


RlizabetUs Charm-String 


where, in a chapel devoted to Saint Gene- 
vieve, is a tomb of solid stone work, said to 
be the very one in which the saint was origi- 
nally buried. 

“ There were 
so many people 
kneelingaround 
the tomb that I 
imagine some 
special service 
was being held, 
and I wish I 
could paint the 
picture present- 
ed by that scene. 

“ The chapel 
itself was dark 
and gloomy, 
lighted only by flickering candles. Beside 
the tomb stood a priest, wearing a scarlet 
cassock and white lace surplice, and near by 
was a table where an old woman was selling 
candles, tapers, and medals. 

160 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ Each person on entering the chapel 
bought a little candle and gave it to the 
priest, who sprinkled it with holy water; 
then it was fastened to an iron standard, 
and the purchaser prayed as long as this 
taper burned. 

“ Remembering that my sister’s name was 
also Genevieve, I bought a little medal, had 
it blessed, and brought it to Elizabeth as a 
souvenir c button.’ 

“ It did not take long to learn something of 
Saint Genevieve’s history, for her name is 
a household word in Paris, although she 
is not widely known outside of that city.” 

Legend of Saint Genevieve 

She was a peasant girl, born in the town 
of Nanterre, not very far from Paris, in the 
year 422 a.d. Her parents were very poor, 
and she used to earn a little money for them 
by looking after the sheep and the geese of 
their neighbors. She studied all the herbs 
she found in the fields, and became so skilful 
11 161 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


in their use that her help and advice were often 
asked by the peasants when they were ill. 

Saint Genevieve was always a very relig- 
ious little child, and was only seven years 
old when Saint Germaine, the Bishop of 
Auxerre, passed through Nanterre, and was 
impressed by her sweetness and piety. 

It is said that he foresaw as in a vision 
the future greatness of the little girl, and 
then and there dedicated her to the ser- 
vice of Christ, placing around her neck a 
copper coin, engraved with the sign of the 
cross. 

Saint Genevieve seems to have possessed 
miraculous powers, even at that early age, 
and one story relates that her mother in a 
fit of rage boxed the child’s ears and was 
punished by blindness. 

In front of their home was a well of very 
pure water. Genevieve took some of this 
water, over it made the sign of the cross, and 
then bathed her mother’s eyes with it. Im- 
mediately the lost sight was restored. 

162 


Elizabeth' s Charm-String 

The water from this well, it naturally fol- 
lowed, became very famous, and in times of 
famine, so the legend says, Saint Genevieve 
used to make from it very nourishing soup 
for the starving peasants. 

When she grew older, she renewed her 
vow of devoting herself to Christ’s work, but 
she remained with her parents until they 
died ; then she went to Paris. 

Here Saint Genevieve worked unceasingly 
among the poor and needy, and by her 
knowledge of herbs and simples was able 
to cure many sick people and relieve much 
suffering. 

Her piety was so sincere, her charity and 
benevolence so unfailing, that ere long her 
praise was heard on all sides, and she was 
regarded with great love and veneration. 

But she had many enemies as well as 
friends, for Christianity had not yet taken 
firm hold among the Franks. Many people 
believed her to be a witch, and by these she 
was maltreated and slandered; but Saint 
163 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Germaine remained her firm friend and kept 
her under his protection. 

Then an event occurred which silenced 
her enemies and made her an object of popu- 
lar enthusiasm. 

When Attila, 
the King of the 
Huns, threatened 
to invade Paris, 
the people were 
so frightened that 
they wanted to 
surrender at once 
to this terrible 
warrior, or else 
flee from him. 

Saint Gene- 
vieve pleaded 
with them, beg- 
ging them not to yield to this pagan King, 
promising that God would succor the Pari- 
sians if they would only ask His protection 
and pray for relief as fervently as she prayed 
164 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 

in their behalf. While the people hesitated, 
word was brought that for some unknown rea- 
son Attila had turned away from Paris, and 
was marching his barbarians in another direc- 
tion. The credit for the deliverance of Paris 
was given to the prayers of Saint Genevieve, 
and from that time on, her influence over the 
Parisians was firmly established. 

Saint Genevieve lived very humbly, wear- 
ing the dress of a nun. She worked night 
and day to improve the condition of any one 
who was poor or wretched, and was in reality 
as well as in name the “ Guardian Angel of 
Paris.” 

About the year 456 a.d. Childeric came to 
besiege Paris, and before long famine and 
fever were playing havoc in the city. Again 
Saint Genevieve proved herself the friend of 
her people by organizing a line of boats 
to run up and down the Seine, to bring 
help and provisions from Troyes and other 
towns. 

When Paris was at last captured by Chil- 
165 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


deric, he, although a pagan, treated Saint Gen- 
evieve with the greatest respect. 

His son Clovis became King of the Franks, 
and, together with his wife Clotilde, was con- 
verted to Christianity by Saint Genevieve, 
and through her influence the first Christian 
church in Paris was built, on the present 
site of Saint Etienne du Mont, the church I 
have just told you about. 

In this church Clovis and Clotilde were 
buried, and when Saint Genevieve died in 
the year 5 1 1 a . d ., at the ripe age of eighty- 
nine, her body was placed beside theirs. 

During the Norman invasion her remains 
were taken to Draveil for safety, where one 
of her teeth is still preserved. Again the 
body was moved and carried to Marizy, and 
was finally brought back to Paris in the year 
855 a . d . 

The first church dedicated to Saint Gene- 
vieve was built very near Saint Etienne du 
Mont, and her remains were placed in a 
magnificent gold shrine. The greatest re- 
166 


Elizabeth s Chavm-S tv wig 

spect and veneration were paid to them, and 
in time of trouble the help of Saint Genevieve 
was always invoked. 

In the year 1129 a.d. a terrible pestilence 
swept over Paris; people died by the hun- 
dreds. In hopes of stopping the ravages of 
this disease, the body of Saint Genevieve 
was carried through the city to the Cathedral 
of Notre Dame. Many of the sick were 
cured by touching it, and the plague soon 
disappeared entirely. 

During the Middle Ages, the remains 
were carried around Paris in procession, and 
with many grand ceremonies some eighty 
times, in order to ward off impending mis- 
fortunes ; and, according to the various 
legends, Saint Genevieve never failed to 
answer favorably the appeals of her beloved 
Parisians. 

The chapel erected over her tomb in 855 
a.d. had been replaced by a much finer 
church, and in the year 1764 a.d. on the 
same site Louis XV began to erect the 
167 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


church now called “ The Pantheon,” dedi- 
cating the building to Saint Genevieve. 

Then came the French Revolution, and 
by a decree of the National Assembly the 

church was con- 
verted into a 
“Temple of 
Fame,” to be 
sacred to the 
memory of the 
famous men of 
France. 

God and re- 
ligion were al- 
most forgotten 
during that aw- 
ful Reign of 
Terror, and no 
respect was paid 
to many objects previously held in great 
veneration. The mob seized the gold shrine 
of Saint Genevieve and sent it to the mint, 
to be converted into money, while her re- 
168 



Rlizabetti s Charm-String 

mains were publicly burned in one of the 
city squares, called the “ Place de Greve.” 

It is claimed, however, and apparently with 
some foundation, that some of the faithful and 
devout people still left in Paris, gathered up 
the ashes and unconsumed particles of bone 
and carried them to a safe hiding-place. 

When peace w r as restored to Paris, these 
ashes were placed, with all due reverence, in 
the Church of Saint Etienne du Mont. 

I was told that even as recently as the 
Franco-Prussian War, when Paris was be- 
sieged by the Germans, and more people 
were killed by famine than by bullets, the 
aid of Saint Genevieve was again implored, 
and throughout Paris was heard this invoca- 
tion : “ Saint Genevieve ! thou who by thy 
prayers didst save Paris from the hordes of 
Attila, save us now from the hordes of his 
descendants.’ , 

By a strange coincidence news was brought 
to Paris, on the eve of Saint Genevieve, that 
the French army had won a great battle, and 
169 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


if any man refused the credit of this success 
to Saint Genevieve, he was probably treated 
quite roughly by the impulsive Parisians. 

Her festival falls on the 3d of January and 
continues a week. Pilgrimages are made 
to her shrine, and the sick and sorrowful 
come to her for relief and comfort. The 
open space in front of the church looks very 
gay and festive ; booths are erected for the 
sale of candles, flowers, medals, offerings of 
all kinds, and these things are freely bought 
by visitors, to be placed on Saint Genevieve’s 
shrine or carried home as mementos. 

Candles burn around the shrine, and the 
priest stands there ready to bless the offer- 
ings, just as he was doing when I visited the 
church. Indeed, I am sure that I shall never 
see Elizabeth’s little medal without a vision 
of the “ Shrine of Saint Genevieve.” 

“ And did Elizabeth’s charm actually touch 
the relics of the saint?” asked Genevieve 
Lebeau. 


170 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ Yes, to the best of my knowledge it did. 
I first bought the little medal, and the priest 
sprinkled it with the holy water; then I 
dropped a piece of money in his charity 
plate: he opened a little slide in the shrine, 
touched the medal to the relics, — if such 
they truly are, — and blessed it with the 
sign of the cross.” 

“ But you are neither a French woman 
nor a Roman Catholic, Aunt Belle, so per- 
haps the touch of the relics cannot help you, 
or me either for that matter,” said Elizabeth. 

“ Perhaps not,” replied her Aunt, “ but the 
blessing of a good man, be his religion what 
it may, can never do us any harm.” 


171 


CHAPTER XVI 


THE TUN OF HEIDELBERG — PERKEO THE 
DWARF — THE MOUSE-TOWER 

T HE children were evidently very 
much impressed by the story of 
Saint Genevieve, and the little 
medal’s connection with it, but they also 
felt that their time for stories was growing 
short, and before many minutes passed, Alma 
claimed attention to what she called a baby 
barrel, adding that under its faucet was en- 
graved a queer little man. 

“ Indeed, he is funny,” began Miss Belle, 
“and his story is one of the oddest to be 
met with along the ‘ many-storied river 
Rhine.’ 

“ The barrel, as you call it, is a tiny copy 
of the Great Tun of Heidelberg, a huge 
reservoir for wine.” 

172 


Elizabeth's Charm-String 


The Tun of Heidelberg 
During the Middle Ages every peasant in 
their domains had to pay a heavy tax to the 
Lords of Heidelberg ; if they had no money, 



they were allowed to pay in wine, for the 
vineyards were the chief source of wealth 
in that part of the world. 

173 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


The first tun was built in the year 1589 
a.d. and held forty-nine thousand gallons of 
wine, or about five hundred of our largest 
hogsheads. The one at present shown to 
the curious visitors at Heidelberg Castle was 
built in 1751 a.d. It is as high as an ordi- 
nary two-story house, and it is encircled by 
a flight of steps. At the close of the vintage 
season, when the tun was entirely filled, a 
platform was always erected across its top, 
and the peasants celebrated the occasion 
with a festive dance. This last tun was in 
use for more than twenty years, and was 
refilled a number of times. 

Near the tun, in the cellar of the ruined 
castle of Heidelberg, stands the wooden 
image of a dwarf ; he is a jolly-looking chap 
and rejoices in the name of Perkeo. He is 
popularly supposed to be the portrait, so to 
speak, of another Perkeo, who is credited 
with the herculean task of having swal- 
lowed the entire contents of that last tun 
of wine. 


174 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


In days of old at the court of every king, 
queen, and feudal lord there was always one 
man known as the court jester, or court fool, 
whose sole occupation in life was to amuse 
his superiors. 

No matter how sad his own heart might 
be, the jester was expected to be always 
ready to afford entertainment by means of 
his witty and amusing stories or comments. 

Our friend Perkeo was a dwarf, and he was 
jester at the court of the Count of Heidelberg. 

Now, although he was a very little man, 
he was “ a mighty giant for wine-bibbing,” 
and every time the Great Tun of Heidelberg 
was filled, his heart swelled with pride at 
the thought that all this wine belonged to 
his noble lord and master. 

One day, when Perkeo was standing be- 
side the tun, gazing at its huge proportions 
with respectful and admiring eyes, he said to 
himself: “ What a fine thing it would be if I 
— Perkeo the dwarf — could drink all that 
wine myself.” 


175 


ElizabetUs Charm-String 


No sooner had this whim entered his 
head than he determined to gratify it. 

You must know that a court jester was 
usually a privileged person ; he could say 
and do things that would have hanged any 
other man, and demanded with impunity 
favors which were nearly always granted. 

Those were troublous times, and the man 
who could amuse the people at court, and by 
his merry jests and pranks keep “ care at 
bay,” was considered worthy of all gratitude. 

So Perkeo decided that at the first oppor- 
tunity he would demand from his master 
the privilege of being the only person to 
drink wine from the Great Tun. 

About that time the Count of Heidelberg 
met with a number of misfortunes, and in 
consequence was always either melancholy 
and worrying over his troubles, or so irrita- 
ble that no one dared to approach him. 

Perkeo was far too clever to ask favors 
from a man who was in a bad humor, and he 
patiently bided his time. 

176 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-Siring 


One night, when the Count was feeling 
unusually sad, he sent for Perkeo, in hopes 
that the jester could produce in him a more 
cheerful frame of mind. 

“ Perkeo,” he said, “if you will only make 
me laugh long enough to enable me to for- 
get my troubles for a short 
time, I will give you any- 
thing you ask for.” 

Accordingly, Perkeo 
exerted himself to the ut- 
most, and never had he 
been so witty, so clever, 
or so amusing; but his 
best efforts were all wasted, 
his master never so much 
as smiled. 

Suddenly a queer idea 
occurred to the jester; he 
doffed his cap and knelt humbly before the 
Count. 

“ Dear master,” he said, “ poor Perkeo 
kneels to ask a great favor from you. The 
12 1 77 



Elizabeths Charm-String 


Great Tun of Heidelberg has just been 
refilled for the last time; will you not give 
orders that no one save Perkeo shall touch 
a drop of that wine ? ” 

The Count was so astonished by this un- 
looked-for request that he could scarcely 
believe his ears. 

He noted the diminutive stature of the 
dwarf kneeling before him ; he thought of 
the colossal proportions of the Great Tun, 
and the contrast they offered was so ridicu- 
lous that the Count burst into a very roar of 
laughter. It seemed to him that he had 
never heard anything quite so absurd in all 
his life, and he continued to laugh until he 
was almost exhausted. 

The great tun of wine now belonged to 
Perkeo. No price was too great to pay for 
such a good joke ! 

Time after time, day in and day out, 
Perkeo went to the tun for a glass of wine ; 
and every day his affection for this enormous 
barrel grew stronger, until finally he refused 
178 


ElizabetJi s Charm-String 


to leave the tun at all, and took up his abode 
in the cellar. 

The legend says that for fifteen years 
Perkeo remained at the side of his tun. 

No one but himself ever turned the faucet 
or tasted the wine, and when the Count of 
Heidelberg or his friends wanted to be 
amused, they had to go to Perkeo. 

One sad day, however, he held up his 
beaker and turned the faucet; not a drop 
fell out. Perkeo the dwarf had completely 
emptied the Great Tun of Heidelberg. 

No longer having an excuse for remaining 
in the cellar, and heart-broken at the thought 
of losing his constant companion of fifteen 
years, Perkeo laid himself down beside the tun 
and quietly died; but not until he had asked 
his master to bury him beneath the faucet, and 
to have a statue erected to Perkeo close to 
his old friend, the Great Tun of Heidelberg. 

All this was done, just as Perkeo wished, 
as you children may see for yourselves when 
you visit Heidelberg. 

179 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ That reminds me,” said Mrs. Staats, “ of 
an anecdote I once read about a man who 
was so fond of a certain kind of wine that 
he wished for a throat as long as the Missis- 
sippi River, in order that he might longer 
enjoy the taste of it.” 

“Oh, girls,” exclaimed Margaret Nelson, 
“ do see this queer little house ! Miss Belle, it 
looks as if it might have been the home of a 
dwarf like Perkeo, it has such small windows.” 

“ No,” said Miss Belle, “ it is not the house 
of a dwarf, although it can be found not so 
very far away from Heidelberg, where our 
friend Perkeo lived. That little house is a 
tower, built on a small island almost in the 
middle of the Rhine, at a point near Bingen, 
where the river narrows very considerably. 
It is called the ‘ Mausthurm,’ or ‘ Mouse- 
Tower,’ and its legend is rather gruesome.” 

The Mouse Tower 

Away back in the tenth century, there 
lived an Archbishop of Mayence named 
180 















Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Hatto. He was a noted churchman, a very 
clever statesman, but extremely perfidious and 
cruel-hearted. 

The poor people of his country were 
dreadfully oppressed by the taxes he imposed 
on them ; he even went so far as to lay a tax 
on corn, and in consequence was cordially 
hated by the peasants. 

There came a year when all the crops 
failed, and there was a terrible famine all 
over the land. 

The peasants had no money and no corn, 
and were almost at the point of starvation. 

But the Archbishop cared nothing for 
their distress; he had huge barns filled to 
overflowing with the corn he had bought in 
times of plenty, and hoarded up for his own 
benefit. 

This grain he sold for a high price to the 
nobles, but he laughed at the miserable 
peasants, who begged for only enough to 
keep them alive. 

Exasperated by their incessant prayers for 
1 8 1 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


help, Hatto determined to put an end to their 
importunities. 

He notified the peasants that they might 
all meet together in one of his empty barns, 
and he would see what he could do for them. 

They came in crowds at the appointed 
time, and soon the building could hold no 
more. They were overjoyed at the prospect 
of food in abundance, and in gratitude for 
the expected assistance almost forgot their 
hatred of the Archbishop. 

But alas for their hopes ! Instead of help- 
ing them, the wicked Archbishop ordered his 
servants to close all the doors and windows 
and set fire to the barn. 

“ Destroy them all ! ” he cried, “ and get 
rid of the vermin. They are like rats, good 
for nothing but to devour the corn.” 

Then he returned to his palace, where 
a banquet was being prepared for his sole 
benefit. 

After dinner he retired, and slept soundly 
until awakened by a noise in the dining- 
182 


Elizabeth j Charm-String 

room below. He paid no attention to it then, 
but the next morning he found that his own 
portrait had been gnawed into scraps by 
mice. 

This frightened Hatto, for he was very 
superstitious, and in those days many people 
believed that the souls of those who died by 
violence could return in the bodies of rats 
and mice, to avenge themselves on their 
murderers. 

While he was breakfasting, a messenger 
came running in, and told the Archbishop 
that an army of rats had eaten up all his 
corn, and was coming towards the palace. 

Hatto ran quickly from the room, jumped 
on his swiftest horse, and rode with all pos- 
sible speed to the river. 

“ I will go to my little tower,” he thought. 

“ The water is deep, and the tide so strong 
that the rats cannot reach me; there I shall 
be perfectly safe.” 

He reached the river none too soon, for 
he had barely time to jump into a boat and 

183 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


pull away from the shore, when the mice and 
rats fell upon his exhausted horse and began 
to devour it. 

Across the river Hatto rowed with might 


and main, and took ref- 
uge in his little tower. 
He barred every door 
and closed every open- 
ing, and felt so secure 
that he lay down to 
sleep. 



Not long did his 
slumbers last. The 
infuriated rats had 
swum across the nar- 


row stream, and, find- 


ing no way to enter the 


tower, were gnawing 


their way through the walls. 

In vain did Hatto try to beat them off 
as he fled to an upper story; from spot 
to spot they pursued him, until, overpow- 
ered by their numbers, he sank exhausted, 


184 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


and was devoured by his voracious little 
enemies. 

In this way was the cruel Archbishop 
Hatto of Mayence punished for his crimes 
against the poor, and it is this story which 
gives the tower its name. 

Robert Southey, the poet, has put this 
story into rhyme, and he describes the inva- 
sion of the rats and mice in a very vivid way: 

“ And in at the window, and in at the door, 

And through the walls, helter skelter they pour, 

And down from the ceiling, and up through the floor, 
From the right and the left, from behind and before, 
From within and without, from above and below, 

And all at once to the Bishop they go. 

They have whetted their teeth against the stones, 

And now they ’ve picked the Bishop’s bones. 

They gnawed the flesh from every limb, 

For they were sent to do judgment on him.” 

“ Is any part of that horrid story really 
true ? ” asked Elizabeth. 

The little girls looked so subdued and 
awe-struck that Miss Belle had to laugh in 
spite of herself. 


185 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


“ Well, my dears,” she answered, “people 
who are very particular about dates and 
facts, and care very little about old legends, 
insist that this tower was not built until 
some two hundred years after the time of 
Archbishop Hatto. 

“ The wise people claim that it was built by 
a certain Bishop Siegfried, and was used as 
a toll-house for collecting duties upon all 
the goods carried by boats up or down the 
river; and that its name ‘ Maus ’ is merely 
a corruption of the word ‘ Maiith,’ which 
means ‘ toll.’ ” 

“ Is it still standing in the middle of the 
river, Miss Belle ? ” asked Marie. 

“ Yes, indeed. I think it is used nowadays 
as a signal tower. Vessels descending the 
river are obliged to slacken speed at this 
point when other vessels are coming up- 
stream, and all the signals are given from 
‘ The Mouse-Tower.’ ” 


CHAPTER XVII 

THE LEGEND OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER 

D O see this little charm, girls ! ” 
l exclaimed Genevieve. “It looks 
like one of Grimm’s ogres, carry- 
ing a Hop-o’-my-thumb on his back.” 

“I am sure, children,” said Miss Belle, 
“ that some of you have been told the history 
of that particular giant. Put on your think- 
ing caps and try to remember who he is.” 

The girls all looked puzzled and a trifle 
embarrassed, but at length Marie Gardiner 
said shyly: “ I think, Miss Belle, that the 
ogre is Saint Christopher, and the Hop-o’- 
my-thumb is the infant Jesus.” 

“You are quite right, Marie. Can you tell 
us the legend? Will you try?” 

“Father told it to me,” said Marie, “and 
I have heard it so often that I believe I can 
tell it almost as well as he does.” 

187 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


Legend of Saint Christopher 

Once upon a time, ever and ever so many 
hundreds of years ago, there lived in the 
land of Canaan a man called Offero, which 
means “ a bearer.” He is said to have been 
twelve feet tall, and was stronger than any 
fifty ordinary men put together. 

He was so proud of his strength that he 
vowed he would never serve any but the 
most powerful king in the whole world. He 
journeyed about, until he reached the court 
of a king who had conquered many coun- 
tries, and was so rich that he did not know 
how much gold and silver he owned. 

The giant offered his services to this 
King, who accepted them gladly, for he was 
quite sure that no such man as this giant 
had been seen since the days of Goliath. 

Offero lived with his master several years 
and served him faithfully. 

One day a famous traveller arrived at the 
palace ; he had come to tell the King about 
1 88 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


many wonderful adventures he had met 
with, and the many curious sights he had 
seen. 

During this man’s recital, Offero heard 
him use the word “ Satan ” very often. Every 
time this name was mentioned the Kins: 

o 

would bow his head and make the sign of 
the cross on his breast. 

This so astonished Offero that he asked 
the King why he made this gesture so fre- 
quently. At first the King refused to answer 
the giant’s question, but finally acknowledged 
that he was very much afraid of this person 
called Satan. 

“ Then I will no longer serve you,” cried 
Offero, “ because if you are afraid of Satan, 
he must be greater than you are, and I have 
sworn, in the pride of my strength, that I 
will serve only the man who is the most 
powerful person to be found.” 

Offero then left this King’s court and 
travelled far and wide seeking King Satan. 

One day, while crossing a desert, he saw 
189 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

coming toward him a tall, soldierly-looking 
man, whose face would have been beautiful 
and pleasing but for the cruel, threatening 
expression of the eyes. 

Behind him marched a vast army of men, 
women, and even little children. Some of 
these people looked very prosperous and 
joyful; others appeared unhappy, ragged, 
and ignorant. 

The leader approached Offero, and with 
the air of a conqueror demanded who he was, 
and where he was going. 

“ I am Offero, the Canaanite, the strongest 
man in the world,” replied the giant, “ and I 
am trying to find the court of King Satan. 
But who are you, and who are these behind 
you ? ” 

“ I am Satan,” the man answered proudly, 
“and these people who follow me are my 
slaves, bound to me body and soul.” 

“If you are indeed Satan, then I have 
found the master I seek,” and, so speaking, 
Offero knelt and offered his services to 
190 


Elizabeth s Charm-String* 


Satan, who graciously accepted them, and 
placed the giant at his right hand. 

Offero lived with Satan many years, and 
was as faithful to him as he had been to his 
first master. 

They roamed from one country to another. 
At length in the course of their travels they 
came to a place where several roads met. 
By the wayside stood a tall wooden cross. 

This cross was merely a sign-post, but 
when Satan saw it he trembled like a leaf 
and turned very pale; he was so frightened 
that rather than pass the cross he marched 
his followers many miles out of their way. 

Offero, on perceiving Satan’s terror, cried 
out, “ What is the matter, my master ? What 
is there about that cross to be afraid of ? I 
can see nothing wrong.” 

Satan hid his face and answered, “ Upon 
that cross the Christ died to save sinners. 
I may be King of the Earth, but he is the 
King of Heaven, and has power to destroy 
me.” 

191 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

“ If this Christ is more powerful than you 
are, I must leave you and go find him. I 
will no longer serve you since I know there 
is a King of whom you are afraid,” said 
Offero. 

The giant at once set forth in search 
of the Kingdom of Heaven; he went here, 
there, and everywhere, but no one could tell 
him where to find this great King Christ. 

One night while walking through a dark, 
lonely forest he saw a faint light far ahead, 
and, guiding his footsteps by it, came to a 
little house. 

He knocked on the door, and on entering 
learned he was in the house of a very wise 
and holy hermit. 

This man explained to Offero all that was 
known about Christ, and how he had died 
on the cross for our sins. 

He told the giant that the Kingdom of 
Heaven was on the other side of a river 
called Death, and that no one could cross 
this stream until called by Christ himself. 

192 


Elizabeths Chartyi-Stvmg 

“ The best way to find Christ,” said the 
hermit finally, “is to fast and pray and 
work.” 

“ I will not fast,” replied Offero, “ because 
then I should lose some of my strength ; and 
how can I pray to a King I do not know and 
cannot see ? I am quite willing to work, how- 
ever, in any way you think will please your 
Master and King.” 

“ Very well,” said the hermit, “ I will set 
you a task, blot far from here is a river, 
wide, deep, and stony ; it is often swollen 
by the heavy rains, and its current is so 
very swift that many feeble people perish in 
attempting to cross it. 

“ Go you and aid them with your strength, 
and it may be that you will please the Christ 
by doing this helpful work, and he may show 
himself to you in some way.” 

Offero did as the hermit suggested. He 
built himself a hut on the river-bank, and for 
a staff he pulled up a young palm-tree. 

By day or by night he was always ready 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

either to help those who needed his assistance, 
or to carry those who were too weak to even 
attempt crossing by themselves. 

One night, when it was so very dark and 
stormy that he felt sure no travellers would 
be abroad, he went to bed early and was soon 
fast asleep. 

He was wakened by the sound of a child’s 
voice, crying “ Offero ! Offero ! come carry 
me over the river ! ” 

The giant looked outside, but could see 
no one. Thinking he had dreamed of hear- 
ing this call for help, he went back to bed. 

Again came the cry, and again he could 
see nobody; a third time he heard it, “ Offero ! 
help me ! come quickly ! ” 

Offero seized his lantern, ran out of doors 
and searched diligently, but apparently he 
was again mistaken in the sound. 

Suddenly out of the darkness appeared 
a little boy clothed in beautiful white robes, 
who begged to be carried over the river. 

The giant laughed as he lifted the child 
194 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

o 


and placed him on his own broad back. He 
was such a wee little fellow that to Offero 
his weight was less than a feather, and in 
spite of the storm he thought his task would 
be a light one. 

Alas for Offero ’s pride ! At every step his 
burden grew heavier and heavier, and his 
strength began to weaken ; even with the aid 
of his staff he could scarcely make any prog- 
ress, and when after a frightful struggle he 
at last reached the opposite shore, he was 
utterly exhausted. 

“ Who are you ? ” he asked faintly, as he 
lifted the child from his back. “ Who 
are you whose weight has so tired my 
strength ?” 

Instead of a child, before him stood a 
beautiful young man. A bright light shone 
about his head, and Offero thought that 
never before had been seen such a gentle, 
loving face. 

“ I am the Christ you seek,” was the an- 
swer, “ and it is no wonder you are so tired, 
195 


Rlizabetti s Charm-String 


for you have carried not only the world, but 
all the sins of the world, which I took on 
my shoulders. 

“People call you Offero — the bearer; 
but hereafter you shall be called Christ- 
offero — the Christ-bearer. 

“You have tried to serve me by aiding 
the poor and the helpless, and I am pleased 
with you. To show my pleasure and prove 
that I am indeed Christ, I bid you plant your 
staff in the ground, and it shall grow and 
blossom.” 

Offero did as he was told, and lo ! his old 
staff flourished at once into a young date 
palm, and its branches were covered with lus- 
cious ripe fruit. 

When the giant looked again for the 
young man, the latter had disappeared. 

Offero suddenly realized that he had in- 
deed seen the Christ, and, falling on his 
knees, found also that he had learned how 
to pray. 

Then the giant went back into the great 
196 
































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% 

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* 



*r.' 



























Elizabeth s Charm-String 

world calling himself Christoffero, or Chris- 
topher, as he had been told to do. 

Always he helped the weak and needy, 
and told every one he met about the Christ. 

At length Christo- 
pher reached Samos, a 
city of Lycia, where the 
people spoke a language 
unknown to him. He 
prayed to Christ for 
power to speak and 
understand this strange 
tongue ; his prayer be- 
ing granted, he sought 
out the Christians who 
were then being perse- 
cuted because of their 
religion, and did all he 
possibly could to help and comfort them. 

The King of this country was called Dag- 
nus. When he beheld the gigantic stature 
and enormous strength of Christopher, he 
became so frightened that he almost fainted 
197 




Elizabeths Charm-String 

on his throne, and ordered his soldiers to 
cast the giant into prison. 

The King sent many of his own people to 
tempt Christopher to deny Christ, or to cause 
him to fall into sin ; but the giant would 
never yield, because he knew the only way 
to serve his own King was to do good and 
be faithful. 

Dagnus became very angry with Christo- 
pher and, as he was also very much afraid of 
him, had the poor man horribly tortured, 
and finally ordered that his head should be 
cut off. 

“ I think that is all, Miss Belle,” added 
Marie. 

“Well done, Marie, but there is one thing 
you have forgotten, or perhaps have never 
heard.” 


A Second Legend 

Just as the soldiers were about to cut off 
his head, Christopher prayed aloud, asking 
198 


Elizabeth’ s Charm-String 


that the followers of Christ who saw him — 
Christopher — on that day should not suffer 
from tempest or fire or earthquake. 

Saint Christopher was, I might say is, re- 
garded as a type of courage and endurance, 
and it was a firm belief for centuries, that 
whoever looked at the image of the saint 
would on that day fail neither in strength 
nor purpose. For that reason immense pict- 
ures or images of him used to be placed 
on the walls of churches or houses, so that 
they might be seen from a great distance. 

There is a certain mountain in Granada 
which is the first thing seen by the ships 
coming from the African coast. This moun- 
tain, so I was told, because of the sailors’ 
superstitious belief in the helpfulness of the 
Christ-bearer, was by them christened “ San 
Cristobal.” 


199 


CHAPTER XVIII 


THE LORELEI LEGEND 

D OES this little gold harp typify 
| Saint Cecelia, Aunt Belle ? ” 
asked Elizabeth. 

“No indeed, Elizabeth, that harp is the 
symbol of nothing saintly or angelic ; its 
music always meant mischief, often shipwreck 
and death. 

“ Have none of you ever heard the legend 
of the ‘ Lorelei,’ the siren of the Rhine ? ” 

A chorus of “ Noes ” was the reply. 

“ Listen then, and you shall hear two 
stories about her. The first is the tale of a 
love that did not run smoothly, and perhaps 
it had an actual occurrence for its foundation.” 

Legend of the Lorelei 
Several centuries ago there lived in the 
town of Bacharach, on the Rhine, a man of 


200 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

humble station, who had a very beautiful 
daughter named Lorelei. 

The father was too poor to give his 
daughter any marriage portion, but for the 
sake of her sweet face, her goodness and 
cleverness, suitors of all degrees, from prince 
to peasant, sought her hand in marriage. 

She refused them one and all, because not 
a man among them had won her heart. 

Many a rejected suitor drowned himself 
in the Rhine, heart-broken by the coldness 
of this charming maiden. 

Ere long Lorelei began to wish that some- 
thing would happen to mar her beauty, for 
she grieved at being the cause of so much 
unhappiness, and if she was ugly, she would 
not be bothered with so many unwelcome 
lovers. 

Many of her girl friends, however, who may 
have been jealous of her beauty and popu- 
larity, declared that Lorelei was simply a 
vain, hard-hearted coquette. They said she 
was so proud of her lovely face, that she re- 


201 


Elizabeths Charm-String. 

fused all these lovers in order to increase the 
number of her conquests by her seeming 
indifference; and they were all quite sure 
that she would in some way or other be 
properly punished for her cruelty. 

One fine day there came to woo our fair 
maiden a knight so brave and handsome 
that Lorelei fell in love with him at first 
sight, and soon after they were formally 
betrothed. 

There was always more or less fighting 
going on in those days, and the successful 
knight vowed that he would go to the wars, 
afid by his valor and courage prove himself 
worthy of the peerless Lorelei. 

His sweetheart entreated him not to leave 
her, but he was ambitious, and desired to 
offer his bride a name made famous by deeds 
of prowess. 

So off to the wars went the knight. 

Lorelei grieved bitterly for her lover, but 
the other girls jeered at her distress ; indeed, 
they thought she deserved it. 


202 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


Many weary months passed, and she had 
heard nothing whatever from her betrothed; 
her heart was full of forebodings. Was he 
dead ? Had he ceased to love her? 

Many other suitors came to ask the hand 
of this poor village girl, but her heart was 
true to her absent lover, and she would not 
listen to any other man. 

At last the other maidens in the town 
and neighborhood lost all patience, and car- 
ried their grievances to the Archbishop of 
Cologne. 

They assured him that this Lorelei, who 
appeared so sweet and amiable, was at heart 
both selfish and cruel; not content with 
being betrothed to the man of her heart, she 
endeavored to take away from other girls the 
lovers she did not want herself. 

Lorelei was ordered to appear before the 
Archbishop of Cologne, in order that he 
might inquire into the truth of these accu- 
sations. 

The Archbishop had never seen Lorelei, 
203 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


but he found that Dame Rumor had not ex- 
aggerated her beauty or her fascinations. He 
investigated all complaints, asking Lorelei 
and her accusers numerous searching ques- 
tions. 

Finally he reached a conclusion, and stated 
that he had not found a single case wherein 
Lorelei was at fault or deserving of censure. 

Lorelei threw herself at the feet of the 
Archbishop, and beseeched him to kill her. 
She said she was so unhappy over her lov- 
er’s long absence, the jealousy of her neigh- 
bors and the trouble caused by her beauty 
made her so miserable, that she longed to die. 

The Archbishop had no right to grant 
such a request, even if he had been willing 
to destroy so much loveliness ; but he told 
Lorelei that if she wished to, she might go to 
some convent, and wait there quietly until 
she heard from her betrothed. 

Travelling alone was not very safe in those 
days, so the Archbishop directed several of his 
soldiers to escort Lorelei to her destination. 

204 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


The party journeyed along the Rhine, 
until they reached Saint Goar. 

Here the river is very narrow and the 
current is dangerously swift ; the cliffs are so 
high that they almost shut out the sunlight, 
and one of these rocks juts out sharply into 
the water. 

Lorelei begged permission to climb this 
rock, and take a farewell view of her beloved 
river. 

As she stood on this height she saw a 
boat approaching, and standing in the bow 
was her betrothed. To attract his attention 
she began to sing a wondrously lovely strain 
of music. 

The knight heard her, and was so fasci- 
nated by the melody, and by the sight of 
his adored Lorelei, that he forgot everything 
else. His boat, not being properly steered, 
was caught in the swift current, dashed to 
pieces against the rocks, and the knight 
disappeared under the rushing waters. 

When Lorelei realized that her lover was 
205 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


drowning, she threw herself headlong from 
the rock and shared his sad fate. 

From that time this rock has been known 
as the “ Loreleiberg.” 



So far as this story is concerned the 
legend is quite plausible, but according to 
other traditions the Lorelei was not a human 
being at all, but a water-nymph, a daughter 
of the Rhine god, and her home was in an 
enchanted palace at the bottom of the Rhine. 

20 6 


Elizabeth ^ Charm-String 


On moonlight nights she would leave her 
fairy home, and seat herself on this high rock 
at Saint Goar. 

Sometimes she was seen combing her 
long golden hair with a jewelled comb ; 
sometimes she held a golden harp, and to its 
accompaniment sang exquisite melodies. 

So marvellous was her beauty, and so 
alluring was the sound of her voice, that 
when men saw or heard her they straightway 
forgot everything else. 

Many a poor sailor was lured to his death 
by the Lorelei. Forgetful of his boat, it 
would be drawn into the whirling eddies at 
the base of the siren’s rock, and dashed to 
pieces against it. 

Strange to say, this lovely water-nymph 
had chosen for her lover an humble fisher- 
man. She would tell him where to cast his 
nets, and he was always lucky and found 
them full of fish. 

One night he climbed the Lorelei’s rock, 
but never came back, never again was seen 
207 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

by mortal man ; the Lorelei had carried him 
down to her enchanted palace under the 
Rhine. 

There was a certain Count Ludwig, the 
only son of a great feudal lord, who lived 
in a town called Stahleck. 

Ludwig was a handsome man and a val- 
iant soldier. He had heard so much about 
the Lorelei’s beauty that nothing would do 
but that he must go see her himself, and 
perhaps bring her back to Stahleck as his 
bride. 

With this hope in view, he fitted out a 
boat with great splendor, and sailed toward 
Saint Goar. 

As the vessel approached the Lorelei’s 
rock, sweet strains of music were heard, and 
in the clear moonlight Ludwig caught a 
glimpse of the Lorelei. She stood on the 
rock, her harp in her hands ; her soft white 
draperies floated about her like a mist, and 
jewels shone in her golden hair. 

The boat drew nearer, and the vision grew 
208 


Elizabeth 's Charm-String 


more distinct. Ludwig, like a man under 
the spell of an enchantress, was lost to 
everything but the sight of that marvellous 
beauty and the sound of that enticing 
voice. 

Alas for the unfortunate knight ! His 
sailors were also spellbound, and the fine 
vessel of Count Ludwig shared the fate of 
‘ the humblest fishing boat. 

The Lorelei had lured the knight to his 
death ! 

But one person on board the vessel es- 
caped, and he carried the sad news back to 
Stahleck. 

The unhappy father swore he would have 
the Lorelei’s life in return for his son’s, and 
sent a number of his bravest warriors to cap- 
ture the water-nymph. 

The soldiers hurried to the rock, crept up 
stealthily, and surrounded the Lorelei so 
closely that there seemed no way of escape 
open, unless she threw herself into the Rhine. 
Then the soldiers called on her to surrender. 
209 


14 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


The Lorelei made no reply, but, standing 
up in the moonlight, she loosened her golden 
hair, and, waving her arms gracefully, began 
to dance. Such strange, fantastic dancing, as 
this these hardy soldiers had never seen, and 
under its spell they were as helpless as a bird 
charmed by a snake. Little by little she 
neared the edge of the cliff, and there the 
dance ended. 

The Lorelei took off all her jewels and 
dropped them into the river; then lifting 
her harp, she began to sing. The melody was 
very weird, filling the hearts of the listeners 
with a vague terror. It may be she was 
appealing to the Rhine god for help; if so 
he must have heard her, for the river began 
to foam and bubble, and the water rose 
higher and higher, until it reached the sum- 
mit of the rock where the Lorelei stood. 

Up from its green depths there arose a 
chariot of pink coral, adorned with pearls, 
and to it four white sea-horses were har- 
nessed. Still singing, the Lorelei stepped 
210 


ElizabetJi s Charm-String 

into this fairy-like carriage, and slowly the 
water sank to its usual level. 

When the soldiers, released from the spell 
of the Lorelei’s presence, ran to the edge of 
the cliff and looked over, nothing unusual 
was to be seen, but up from the depths of 
the Rhine came a peal of mocking laughter. 

Never again was the beautiful water- 
nymph seen in the moonlight combing her 
hair, but sometimes when the moon is full 
and the night very quiet, the sailors imagine 
they can hear her singing, and they say to 
each other, “ Listen ! the Lorelei is singing 
to her fisher lover.” 


211 


CHAPTER XIX 


THE DOVES OF VENICE — THE LION OF LU- 
CERNE— THE MONKEY’S TOWER — HILDA’S 
TOWER — THE DURHAM KNOCKER — THE 
IRON VIRGIN — THE CROSS OF SAINT BER- 
NARD — MONTE - DI - PIETA — THE LITTLE 
CORPORAL 

B ELLE,” said Mrs. Staats, “instead 
of telling another long story, sup- 
pose you fill up the half-hour before 
lunch with what one might call ‘ general 
information ’ about Elizabeth’s ‘ buttons.’ ” 

“ That is a very good idea,” replied Belle, 
“ and I will commence with this little enam- 
elled bird. Its coloring is almost exactly like 
that of the ‘ Pigeons of Saint Mark’s,’ from 
which it was modelled.” 

The Doves of Venice 

Hundreds of these pigeons fly unmolested 
about the Church and Piazza of San Marco 


212 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


in Venice, and they have possessed this privi- 
lege ever since the year 877 a.d. 

They are quite tame, and the sight of your 
hands filled with corn will bring the pretty 



creatures flocking around you. They will 
light on your shoulders and feed from your 
hands or from your lips, without fear. 

One story relates that these birds are held 
sacred, because a carrier-pigeon brought to a 
Doge of Venice in ancient days a message 
that enabled the Venetians to win a glorious 
victory. But their exemption from the usual 
fate of pigeons probably originated in one of 
the holiday games of the Venetians. In the 
213 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


old and palmy days of the Republic it was 
customary, after the High Mass on Palm 
Sunday, for the Sacristan of Saint Mark’s to 
let loose a number of pigeons in the piazza. 

The birds were always handicapped in 
their flight by scraps of paper fastened un- 
der their wings. 

The Venetians would gather together in 
the piazza and scramble good-naturedly for 
these pigeons. No quarrelling or fighting 
over them was allowed. The captured birds 
were fattened up for the Easter dinner, and 
the victors were expected to invite their less 
fortunate neighbors to share the feast. 

The pigeons lucky enough to escape 
found a veritable “city of refuge” in the 
roof and niches of the church. These birds 
wete regarded as sacred, and rounded out 
their little lives in peace and plenty. 

Formerly they were fed at the expense of 
the government, but after Napoleon Bona- 
parte in 1797 a.d. declared the downfall of 
the Republic, and transferred all the Vene- 
214 


ElizabetK s Charm-String 

tian territory to Austria, the pigeons were 
sadly neglected ; the stones of Venice do not 
afford much food for birds, and hundreds of 
them starved to death. 

Now they are provided for by the income 
from a sum of money bequeathed to the city 
by some charitable-minded lady, for the spe- 
cial maintenance of the pigeons. Besides 
this, several peasants are always to be found 
in the piazza with little packages of corn, 
which they sell for a penny each. 

Very few of the many people who visit 
Venice pass through the piazza without 
squandering a few pennies for the pleasure of 
feeding the pigeons, so the birds are in no 
present danger of starvation. 

“ Dear me, Aunt Belle, every time I 
decide which charm I like best, you tell 
me something that makes me change my 
mind.” 

“ Oh ! ” said Genevieve, “ do not bother 
your head about that. What is the use of 
215 


ElizabeiJis Charm-String 

trying to pick out the biggest apple in a bar- 
rel, when they are all the same size? Just 
like all the charms the best.” 

The laughter caused by this characteristic 
speech was interrupted by Miss Belle calling 
their attention to a tiny silver bas-relief, 
which she told the children was called the 
“ Lion of Lucerne.” 

“ The original of this figure,” she con- 
tinued, “ was carved out of the solid rock of 
a mountain-side at Lucerne, by the famous 
Norwegian sculptor, Thorwaldsen. The 
huge lion, twenty-eight feet long and fifteen 
feet high, is dying, pierced by a spear broken 
short off in his body, and one paw is closed 
over the ‘ Lilies of France ’ as though the 
lion loved and desired to protect them.” 

The Lion of Lucerne 

The “ Lion of Lucerne ” was carved as a 
monument to bravery and loyalty, in mem- 
ory of twenty-six officers and seven hundred 
and fifty soldiers of the famous regiment of 
216 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Swiss Guards, who lost their lives while de- 
fending the Tuileries Palace against the fury 
of a mob on August io, 1792 a.d. 

On that night thousands of rioters, armed 
with pikes, attacked the palace. The sol- 
diers of the National Guard were divided 
between their allegiance to the King, and 
their sympathy with the common people, 
and their fidelity wavered. Perhaps they 
would have remained loyal and joined the 
soldiers of the Swiss Guard in defending the 
palace, had not the King decided to leave 
the Tuileries with his family and take refuge 
in the building called the “ Manege,” where 
the National Assembly — the representa- 
tives of the people — held their meetings. 

All the soldiers of the National Guard left 
the Tuileries, but the Swiss Guards and 
about one hundred and twenty nobles who 
were loyal to the King refused to surrender 
the palace. They fired on the rioters, and 
might easily have dispersed them, but the 
King sent word to cease firing and surrender. 

217 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


The rioters renewed the attack, and in 
a few minutes burst into the palace, killing 
every soldier they saw, and destroying every- 
thing they could lay their hands on. The 



y, ' ,i ducci . ... _ r*i< ti&irw i] ] v!vj jwki w'ljftwr 

V - ' •Myjj l W JJ j 


Swiss Guards were nearly all killed in the 
gardens as they retreated, and the few who 
survived gave up their arms by order of the 
King. 

You understand, then, that these foreign 
soldiers were far more loyal to the unfortu- 

21 8 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

nate King Louis XVI, and the still more 
unfortunate Queen Marie Antoinette, than 
were the French soldiers of the National 
Guard. That is why the monument shows 
the “ Lion of Lucerne ” protecting the Bour- 
bon lilies. 

Cut in the rock below the lion are the 
names of these brave officers, and an inscrip- 
tion describing the cause and manner of 
their death. At the foot of the cliff, just 
beneath the monument is a little artificial 
lake, bordered with clusters of water lilies, 
and floating on its surface are white swans. 
It is all so quiet and peaceful, that it is hard 
to realize that the dying lion commemorates 
a scene of murder and violence. 

“ Miss Belle,” asked Marie, “ has every one 
of these little animals on Elizabeth’s charm- 
string a history ? ” 

“ No, my dear, but nearly all of them are 
typical of street scenes in the cities where 
they were bought. 


219 


RlizabetJi s Charm-String 


“ In Florence the people drive the prettiest 
little donkeys I have ever seen. Early every 
morning in Naples you will see flocks of 
goats driven through the streets, and milked 
at each house door. At Monte Carlo a pig 
is the proper charm to wear, and at Paris 
a French poodle. 

“ That little monkey you have now in your 
hand came from Rome, and he deserves to 
be called historical. 

“ One afternoon I was sauntering along a 
narrow street in Rome, when most unex- 
pectedly it widened out into a small open 
space, or piazza. It was not the cleanest place 
I have ever seen, but it certainly was a very 
interesting and a very busy little place. 

“ In the surrounding shops I imagine one 
could buy anything, from antiquities to freshly 
roasted chestnuts, from diamonds to postage 
stamps; there was also a little church near 
by, and very likely one of the little shops 
was a lottery office. 

“ But what most attracted my attention was 
220 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

a building which perhaps in its best days 
had been a palace, maybe the home of some 
great Roman noble. Above the entrance 
rose a tall square tower ; on one angle of its 
battlements stood a shrine to the Virgin 
Mary, and before this a light was burning. 

“ I had seen many similar shrines on 
the corners and above the doorways of build- 
ings, but never one in such an exalted posi- 
tion as this. I wondered very much why 
it had been placed so far above all practical 
purposes, and later on I learned the reason.” 

Hilda’s Tower 

There once lived in this tower a man who 
owned a pet monkey; the animal was very 
tame and good-natured, and the man's only 
son, then little more than a baby, was espe- 
cially fond of it. 

Imagine the horror of the baby’s parents 
when one morning they discovered the mon- 
key climbing up the tower, carrying their lit- 
tle son with him. When the top was reached 


221 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


the monkey balanced himself on the parapet, 
and with the child in his arms rocked back 
and forth on this narrow ledge. 

The parents were almost crazy with appre- 
hension, and, falling on their knees, they 
vowed that if the monkey returned their 

child to them 
unharmed, they 
would build a 
shrine to the 
Virgin for this 
tower, and al- 
ways keep a 
light burning 
before it. 

As if in an- 
swer to their 
prayers, the 
monkey, with- 
out losing hold 

of the child, clambered and slid down the 
wall, and laid the baby at his mother’s feet. 
The grateful parents did not forget their 



ElizabetJis Charm-String 


vow , but had an image of the Virgin made, 
and placed it on the tower. As long as the 
tower endures, the light before the Madonna 
must be kept burning, or else tower and 
building will pass from its owner and become 
the property of the Roman Church. 

The Romans call this tower “ Torre della 
Scimia,” — the Monkey’s Tower, — but to 
most English-speaking people it is known 
as “ Hilda’s Tower.” 

There is a charming romance of artist life 
in Rome called “ The Marble Faun,” written 
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The name of the 
heroine is Hilda; her studio was in this 
tower, and because of her lovable character 
she was appointed custodian of the Madonna’s 
shrine, and it was her duty to keep the light 
burning before it. 

Some day you will read “ The Marble 
Faun,” and it may add to your interest in 
the story if you remember why this partic- 
ular shrine to the Virgin Mary occupies so 
elevated a position. 


223 


Elizabeth! s Charm-String 


“ Do you think,” asked Margaret with a 
very dubious expression on her pretty face, 
“ that we shall be able to remember all these 
tales until we get a chance to see these 




“No doubt, dear, 
you will forget all 
the dates and most 
of the facts, but I 


am quite sure you will not forget the ‘ story ’ 
parts. 

“ Now,” continued Miss Belle, “ here is 
another curious charm. It looks like a 
grotesque mask, with empty eye sockets and 
224 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 

partly opened mouth. Its original is the 
‘ knocker ’ on the door of the Cathedral of 
Durham in England.” 

The Durham Knocker 
The knocker is very much larger than a 
man’s head, and in the old monastic days 
its features were lighted up 
every night by a torch, to 
show travellers the way to 
the cathedral and monastery. 

It had another interesting 
use. At this door people who 
were unjustly accused of any crime, or 
criminals fleeing from justice, could find 
“sanctuary;” that is, any real or supposed 
sinner who could reach and sound the Dur- 
ham knocker before being caught by his 
pursuers, was safe for that time at least. 

He was taken into the monastery and 
cared for by the charitable monks, until his 
case could be investigated. If he was found 
innocent in their sight, they helped him on 
is 225 



Elizabeths Charm-String 


his way to safety, and I imagine that even 
the guilty ones were not always punished 
as severely as they deserved. 

Miss Belle next picked out a little figure 
which looked like a fifteenth-century peas- 
ant girl in miniature. It had on a long 
cloak ornamented with rows of tiny but- 
tons. On its head was an oddly shaped 
cap, and around its neck was a wide plaited 
ruffle. 

“Now this article,” she said, “was also 
used by priests and monks, but for a very 
different purpose. This was an instrument 
of torture during the days of the Inquisition, 
and it is called the ‘ Iron Virgin of Nurem- 
berg.’ 

“ Look ! ” she continued, and then pressed 
one of the little buttons. 

The little image opened down the centre, 
and the girls saw that the buttons outside 
were really the heads of tiny spikes driven 
through the figure. 

226 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


The Iron Virgin 

The victim of this dreadful-looking Virgin 
was placed inside, and the doors were closed 
very slowly. The spikes were so arranged 



as to pierce only the fleshy and least vital 
parts of the body. If the sufferer confessed 
whatever the Inquisitors desired to learn, he 
or she would be released from the embrace 
of the Virgin ; if not, then the doors would 
227 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


be tightly closed, and the victim crushed 
against the cruel points. 

So seldom was the heart or brain pierced, 
that to be “ embraced by the Iron Virgin ” 
meant that the sufferer lingered in horrible 
torture until the agony actually exhausted 
his vitality. Underneath the Iron Virgin 
was a trap door, through which the body was 
dropped when life was extinct 

The Iron Virgin may still be seen in the 
quaint town of Nuremberg, but, Heaven be 
praised, she has for many a long day been 
as harmless as the Durham knocker. 

“ Here is a little charm that came from 
Sienna, one of the famous ‘hilltop’ cities 
of Italy,” said Miss Belle, picking out a little 
circle of golden rays, enclosing the letters 
“J. H. S.” united in a cross-shaped mono- 
gram. “ This figure is one you often see in 
Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, 
and the letters are the initials of three 
Latin words, meaning ‘Jesus, Saviour of 
Man.’” 


228 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


The Cross of Saint Bernard 

It is the emblem of Saint Bernardino, 
or Saint Bernard as we know him, of Sienna, 
a famous Franciscan monk. 

Some one has aptly described the Francis- 
cans as the Salvation Army of the Middle 
Ages, and Saint Bernard was one of the 
most eloquent preachers of this order, and 
his personal influence led many people to 
forsake their evil ways. It was frequently 
his custom, while preaching, to hold in his 
hand a tablet on which was carved the name 
of Jesus, or the letters “J. H. S.,” sur- 
rounded by a circle of gilded rays. 

One day a man came to Saint Bernard in 
great distress and begged him to stop preach- 
ing for a time. 

“ Father,” he said, “ I earn my living by 
making cards and dice, but you have per- 
suaded so many people to stop gambling 
that I no longer have any trade, and am 
almost penniless.” 


22 9 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


Saint Bernard showed the man his tablet 
and suggested that he make others like it 
and sell them to the people instead of cards. 

Because of the love and respect which 
every one felt for Saint Bernard, the tablets 
were in great demand, and soon came to be 
regarded as sacred memorials of this Fran- 
ciscan monk. 

Another emblem of Saint Bernard is a little 
green hill, made up of three mounds, with a 
crucifix on the top. This was called in Italy 
a “ Monte-di-Pieta,” or “ Little Hill of Piety.” 

Now in those days the people who were 
obliged to borrow money from Jews or 
usurers, were compelled to pay an enormous 
interest on such loans. To help the very 
poor people, it is said that Saint Bernard 
founded in every large city that he visited 
what we now call a loan-office or pawn-shop, 
but which is still called in Italy a Monte-di- 
Pieta, and in France a Mont-de-Piete. These 
institutions were intended to be purely chari- 
table in their aims, and as the interest de- 
230 


•J 

Elizabeths Charm-String 


manded on all kinds of loans was the merest 
trifle, they proved very helpful. So when 
you see the three gold balls hanging over 
the door of a pawn-shop, do not forget that 
they had their origin in the three little green 
mounds of Saint Bernard’s “Hill of Piety.” 

Miss Belle then showed the little girls a 
miniature bust of the Emperor Napoleon 
Bonaparte. “ I bought this,” she said, “ be- 
cause of a pretty story concerning the man- 
ner in which Napoleon Bonaparte acquired 
his nickname of ‘ Le Petit Caporal,’ or ‘ The 
Little Corporal.’ ” 

The Little Corporal 
This fearless man was not in the habit of 
flying from his enemies, but, according to the 
story, he had suffered a defeat at the hands 
of the Russians, and was retreating, closely 
followed by a band of Cossacks, who were 
bent on capturing him. 

A corporal or sergeant of the Emperor’s 
own regiment was riding with him. Escape 
231 


Elizabeths Charm-String 

seemed impossible, until this soldier, who was 
a man of about the same height and build 
as Napoleon, persuaded the latter to ex- 
change uniforms and horses with him. This 
done, the Emperor 
spurred his horse 
in another direc- 
tion, while the cor- 
poral continued to 
ride straight ahead 
along the high- 
road. 

The personal ap- 
pearance of Napo- 
leon Bonaparte was 
well known, consequently the Cossacks had 
no doubt that “the little French officer riding 
a white horse,” who had been seen by the 
country people of whom they made inquiries, 
was the man they were trying to capture. 

The corporal was overtaken and arrested, 
but the deception was not detected until he 
was taken before the Russian general. 

232 



Elizabeth s Charm-String 

Imagine the chagrin of his captors when, 
instead of the Emperor of France, they dis- 
covered that their prisoner was no greater 
personage than a corporal of the Emperor’s 
Guard. The soldier was sentenced to death, 
and was shot the next morning. 

Napoleon provided liberally for the family 
of the soldier who had sacrificed his life for his 
general, and in grateful memory of the deed 
often appeared in the uniform of a corporal. 

This Emperor, who at the height of his 
power was the terror of every monarch in 
Europe, was a very small man, and the nick- 
name “ Little Corporal,” given him by his 
soldiers, was a very appropriate one, and to 
Napoleon Bonaparte’s credit be it said that 
the title was always used affectionately, never 
in derision, for he was ever the idol of the 
French army. 

Just then old Caroline poked her head 
inside the door and called out, it must be 
confessed a trifle impatiently : 

233 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


“ Mrs. Staats, if the children don’t hurry 
up the candles will all burn out.” 

“ Candles ! ” exclaimed every one of the 
girls except Elizabeth. 

“ Yes, candles,” she cried, her eyes dancing 
with fun. “ It is a grand surprise for you all. 
To-day is my birthday, and the candles are on 
my cake. Hurry up, girls ! ” 


234 


CHAPTER XX 


THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 

O FF the girls scampered into the 
dining-room, and many “ Ohs ! ” 
and “ Ahs ! ” were uttered at the 
sight of the feast spread before them. 

In the middle stood the birthday cake, 
with a lighted candle for each year of Eliz- 
abeth’s life, and high above these, in the 
centre of the cake, burned the “life light.” 
Elizabeth herself had to blow this one out, so 
as to make sure she would live to the next 
birthday ; then with a long breath, a strong 
breath, and a breath all together, the other 
girls blew out all the “ year ” candles, and 
so they knew that Elizabeth would meet with 
no misfortunes in the coming year. 

Such good things as they had to eat; 
everything schoolgirls like, from olives to ice- 
235 


Elizabeth s Charm-String 


cream. When the time came to cut the 
birthday cake, Elizabeth inserted the knife 
in the portion directly in front of her. For 
some reason it would not cut, and on inves- 
tigating the cause, she found that instead of 
a slice of cake, she was trying to cut a little 
box which had her own name on it. 

She untied the white ribbon fastenings, 
and lo ! and behold ! there was the white 
leather box which her Aunt had given to 
Mrs. Staats on the first morning of the 
visit. 

On the cover was a dainty monogram — 
“E. S.” — in green and red coloring, and 
around its edge was a border of little fleurs- 
de-lis. Inside on a white satin bed lay the 
prettiest little watch that ever gladdened the 
eyes of a small girl ; and Elizabeth fairly 
swelled with pride as Aunt Belle fastened 
to her dress the little fleur-de-lis pin, from 
which hung the long-desired treasure. 

“ There you are, my dear. I bought the 
little watch in Paris, and that is why I chose 
236 


Elizabeth? s Charm-String 


this design for its pin. I had the box made 
in Florence, and that is the reason it too has 
the fleur-de-lis on it, for the ‘ giglio,’ as the 
Italians call it, is the symbol of the city of 
Florence, but in France it is really the em- 
blem only of royalty or nobility. As to the 
colors on the box, you must know that red, 
white, and green are the national colors of 
Italy.” 

Just how it was all managed only Miss 
Belle and Caroline could have explained, but 
each slice of that cake seemed to hold a 
birthday souvenir, and what was stranger 
still, each slice reached its proper owner. 

There was a little silver medal of Saint 
Genevieve for her modern namesake; an 
Imp of Lincoln stickpin for Marie; a dainty 
“ giglio ” brooch, enamelled in the Italian 
colors, for Alma; a little gold gondola for 
Margaret Nelson ; while Mrs. Curtis and 
Mrs. Staats were each remembered with a 
coral lucky horn. 

“ But, Aunt Belle ! ” exclaimed Elizabeth, 
237 


Elizabeths Charm-String 


“ there does not seem to be anything for you 
to remember my birthday by.” 

“ Yes, dear,” replied her Aunt with a smile, 
as she glanced at the pretty scene and the 
happy girls gathered about her, “ I have the 
best souvenir of you all, for I have the mem- 
ory of your sweet, earnest faces as you lis- 
tened to my stories about the ‘ buttons ’ on 

“ Elizabeth’s Charm-String.” 


238 




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LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY, Publishers 
254 Washington Street . Boston, Massachusetts 









































































































































































































































































































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OCT 8 1903 


f i. r. i 





